Received: from [66.218.66.156] by n6.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 05 Feb 2004 04:40:12 -0000 X-Sender: stephenbratliff@earthlink.net X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 13074 invoked from network); 5 Feb 2004 04:40:11 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.167) by m16.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 5 Feb 2004 04:40:11 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO albatross.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.120) by mta6.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 5 Feb 2004 04:40:11 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-021dcwashp0048.dialsprint.net ([63.191.144.48]) by albatross.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1AobIx-0007UW-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Wed, 04 Feb 2004 20:39:56 -0800 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.120 From: ASC-VSO X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc X-eGroups-Rocket-Track: 1: 100 ; IPCR=n-w0,n100,g0 ; SERVER=66.218.86.252 MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 23:38:24 -0500 Subject: [ASC] NEW ENT: "Enemy of the State" chpt 8 [PG-13] (A,T/Tu,Ma,R,S,P) - Opinions and critici sms appreciated Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. ADVERTISEMENT My Groups | ASCL Main Page Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 01 Feb 2004 00:59:58 -0500 In: alt.startrek.creative From: quills the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Title: Enemy of the State Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save unravel the Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat...Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, "Carpenter Street", but before the episode "Harbinger". Captain's Starlog, supplemental, it has now been seven hours since we exited the subspace anomaly and brought aboard the temporal shuttle carrying Captain Soma. Lieutenant Reed reports the phase cannons are back up to seventy-percent accuracy and Chief Engineer Tucker and his staff, have the warp drive realigned ahead of schedule. I must now decide what course of action to take in light of our new situation. The senior staff was already assembled in command center. They waited pensively for Captains Archer and Soma to arrive and begin the meeting. They had all read the summary report by Captain Soma. It detailed his experience with the temporal agent T'Cel and how they had both encountered a very changed time-line complete with a very militaristic Vulcan battle platform that almost destroyed them and resulted in T'Cel's death. The wait to begin the meeting was showing on the entire senior staff. Even T'Pol was anxious for the meeting to begin. The only person in the room not showing any sign of anxiety was Major Hayes. At the invitation of Captain Archer, Hayes was also in attendance. The Major and his M.A.C.O. team had proven extremely useful during Enterprise's excursion through the expanse and the captain suspected he was going to need him and his commandoes, much to the displeasure of Lieutenant Reed; whose dislike for Hayes was evident to majority of the senior staff if not the captain himself. The door to the command center slid open and all heads turned as the last members of the meeting arrived. Soma, deferring to Archer, allowed the captain to enter first. Following Archer into the room, the two Starfleet captains took their places at the conference table as the senior officers settled into their chairs. Present at the meeting were science officer T'Pol, Chief Engineer Tucker, Lieutenant Reed, Ensigns Mayweather and Sato and Doctor Phlox who always attended in an auxiliary capacity as a non bridge officer and of course Major Hayes. Archer sat at the front of the conference table. He opened the meeting with a serious tone. "Let's get down to business," said the captain. He made a casual gesture towards Soma and allowed himself a slight smile as he addressed his officers "I believe most of you are familiar with this man." Soma looked around the table, giving his former bridge crew a curt nod and a smile. They all remembered the half Vulcan from his last visit, when he had temporarily assumed command of the Enterprise. Each of them returned the smile, quietly welcoming Soma back. The senior staff was fond of the half Vulcan, but their subdued tone belied their fears that his arrival meant they were in dire straits. Chief Tucker, never one for a casual hello, jumped in with a more personal greeting for Soma. "Just couldn't stay away from us could ya capn'," said Tucker grinning. Soma gave the engineer a raised brow and a grin to match Tucker's. "On the contrary, chief, I was merely passing by and thought I'd see how much trouble you people had managed to get yourselves into since I left." "Our current situation isn't anything new Capn'," replied Tucker casually. "We're always one step away from jumpin' outta the fryin' pan and into the fire." Soma gave Tucker another raised brow. "Then its fortunate I've arrived to help you avoid getting yourself singed chief." Archer smiled, watching father and son exchanging barbs amused the captain. Normally he wouldn't tolerate such a casual atmosphere at a meeting of this importance, but he could see the levity the two men were causing was having a positive effect on his staff as they watched Tucker and Soma going at it. Glancing over at T'Pol, who was sitting next to him, Archer noticed that his science officer was also intently studying the two men's interaction. Archer wasn't sure if it was just her Vulcan preoccupation for observing things, or a genuine interest. In either case, Archer thought he saw a hint of warmth in T'Pol's cold Vulcan façade. Her two boys? he thought once more wondering if the Vulcan was privy to the same information he was. "If you two gentleman are done trading insults," interrupted Archer. "I have a staff meeting to conduct." Both officers took that as a cue to end their friendly re-aquaitence. Tucker settled back in his chair, while Soma gave him one last look pointing his finger at the man, letting him know they would continue this later. "Major Hayes," said Archer looking toward the end of the table. "I believe you're the only one not acquainted with our guest" Archer gestured toward Soma. "Major...Captain Jonathan Soma...Captain...Major Tom Hayes." "Captain," said Hayes curtly and with a slight nod towards Soma. Soma gave Hayes a raised brow and returned the greeting. "Major" "Captain Soma," said Archer looking over at the Vulcan. "I've taken the liberty of informing the Major of your true identity and origin." Archer grinned at Hayes. "I feel its necessary to warn you that the major is some what reluctant to embrace the revelation he's recieved." "With all due respect sir," replied Hayes. "It doesn't matter what I believe as long as I follow your orders to the letter." Soma noted that Hayes made certain to stress whose orders he would be following to the letter. "Major," said Archer. "I've included you in this briefing, because it may be necessary to use you and your personnel on our mission. What you hear at this table is not to be shared with them without my express permission. Is that understood?" "Perfectly, sir," replied Hayes crisply. Malcolm Reed, seated two chairs up from the major, rolled his eyes. Trip Tucker caught the look and casually elbowed the armory officer in side. Don't let the captain catch you doin' that Malcolm, thought Tucker. "You've all read the report Captain Soma submitted," said Archer looked around the table. "Opinions?" "Militant Vulcans," said Reed. "Don't let Commander Shran hear about that." "Oh, I don't know," countered Tucker glancing at T'Pol. "Might be interesting to see what's behind that cool Vulcan exterior." He half expected T'Pol to rise to the bait with a logical response to counter his emotionally filled comment. What he heard surprised him. "I assure you commander," said T'Pol "You would not want to see what my species is capable of if our emotional restraint were removed." Tucker looked at T'Pol, who was doing her best not to return his gaze. She seemed unnerved by something and he wasn't sure but suspected it involved the comment he had just made. "I have to agree with the sub-commander," interjected Soma. "Vulcans are capable of extreme violence and savagery. If the ones..." he paused for a moment as the thought of T'Cel entered his mind."...the ones T'Cel and I encountered are any indication of the kind of Vulcan's we can expect to find in this time-line then we had best be very, very careful." "So what are we dealing with? Another Xindi threat?" asked Mayweather. "We don't know for certain, ensign," replied Soma warily. "According to the information T'Cel was given, the Xindi are at the center of the conspiracy...but they may not be the architects." Archer gave Soma a hard stare. The Vulcan was all too familiar with the look. It signaled a requirement for a further explanation. Soma paused a moment as he considered how to couch his words. He had to be mindful of the fact that if they were successful in restoring the time-line that Archer and his crew would still have a mission to complete. "According to history," Soma began, "Both Earth and the Xindi were being played against one another by a third unknown faction. A fact that, when discovered, led to a cessation of hostilities on both sides and an eventual alliance." Looks of surprise and shock went around the table. Not only at the revelation that they, the Earth and the Xindi were being used, but also that the seven million who had died in the Xindi attack were all part of someone's attempt to manipulate the two worlds. This wasn't new information. Captain Archer had informed them that he was told this by one of the Suliban's temporal masters. However, it was a far different matter when they heard it from a trusted ally from the future. "How can you be sure of that," asked Archer, knowing full well what Soma's answer would be. "It's a matter of history," replied Soma. "Public history?" asked T'Pol. "No," replied Soma. "Because of the belief that both Earth and the Xindi were being manipulated by agents involved in the temporal cold war...which we are all familiar with...it was deemed classified by both governments and the files we're kept from the general populace of both the Xindi and Earth." "So let me see if I understand this correctly," said Reed. "You know exactly how our mission will end?" "I know how it will end according to history," replied Soma. "Any interference, on the part of Xindi agents, with the time-line could alter that outcome." "But if we set the time-line back to the way it should be," added Tucker. "Then you could tell us exactly where to find the Xindi weapon." Soma saw Tucker's face brighten. He was afraid this very situation would come up and had been dreading it. He was about to respond too Tucker when Archer did it for him. "No Trip," said the captain "He can't." Tucker looked from Soma to Archer in confusion. "What do ya mean he can't," said the engineer excitedly. "He just said he knows the outcome." "He probably does," said Archer nodding his head "But I'm acquainted with the Starfleet regulations of Captain Soma's time period. He's under orders not to interfere in any historical events unless those events have been changed by outside forces. Am I right Captain?" "That's correct, sir," replied Soma. "Starfleet Regulation 157, Section III, Paragraph 18: Starfleet officers shall take all necessary precautions to minimize any participation in historical events." Tucker sat back in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you telling me that you could stop Lizzy and the rest of those seven million from dyin, but you won't...because of a regulation? "I'm sorry chief," replied Soma. "But I have a duty to uphold as a Starfleet officer. If we're successful in restoring the time-line then the Enterprise will have to continue its mission...without outside assistance." Everyone at the table could feel the tension hanging in the air as Tucker held a piercing stare on Soma. For his part, Soma tried not to meet Tucker's gaze but giving in to temptation allowed his eyes to meet Tuckers. He could feel the hatred behind Tucker's gaze and it chilled him to the bone. Archer stared at the two men. He understood where Tucker was coming from. The man had lost someone very important to him only to find out that the only man who could bring her back...couldn't or rather wouldn't. The captain feared this would reopen wounds he and the rest of the crew had hoped Phlox and T'Pol had begun to heal. Before Archer could say anything, it was Hoshi Sato that broke the silence. "We're going to need allies," remarked the ensign "We don't know what's been changed in this time-line or what it will take to correct it." "She's got a point," said Mayweather shaking his head. "Old allies might be new enemies." "I know exactly what you mean," said Tucker, giving Soma a venomous stare. The half Vulcan met Tucker's gaze, but addressed Mayweather's comment "We'll have to tread carefully," he replied, "Wherever we go, we'll have to be surreptitious, attracting as little attention as possible." "But just where do we go?" asked Reed. "We don't have a clue what we're looking for." "But we do have at least one clue," interjected Phlox. The Denobulon had been silent so far, but felt it was time to add his contribution to the direction the discussion was moving in. "According to Captain Soma, T'Cel said the Xindi were targeting Vulcan. Perhaps their intention is Vulcan but their target is still Earth." Archer nodded his head. "It makes sense. If they change Vulcan's history then they could conceivably change ours." Soma turned away from Tucker. "Daniels and his people are probably not monitoring Vulcan history as closely," said Soma. "Since the Xindi have only made an aggressive move against Earth they probably believe any allies of Earth are at a low risk." "And are expending their resources monitoring Earth's history," added T'Pol. Soma looked over at her and nodded. "Exactly." "Then it seems pretty obvious," said Hayes. "We go to Vulcan." Hayes' comment wasn't anything surprising. Everyone at the table knew what direction the discussion was headed in. Vulcan was obviously the key, but no one was looking forward to what that would mean for the Enterprise and her crew. A long silence hung over the meeting as everyone considered just what Hayes' suggestion would entail. "I agree," said T'Pol breaking the silence. "If we accept T'Cel's account as relayed by Captain Soma as factual then we must go to the source. Any change to Vulcan history would more than likely be in the historical record. If we can compare that record to the one aboard Enterprise then we may be able to pinpoint where the time-line has been changed and how it has been changed." Soma looked at the science officer and gave her a gratuitous raised brow. At least she was still in his corner. T'Pol returned the gesture. "It is the most logical course of action, given the circumstances," he agreed "And just how are we supposed ta get there?" asked Tucker not hiding his anger with Soma or his building frustration. "Even at a sustained warp five, it'll take us weeks if not months ta get ta Vulcan." Reed shook his head in agreement. "And that will involve crossing a lot of what is, in this time-line, essentially uncharted and dangerous space." "Trip and Malcolm make a good point," said Archer. "We're probably the only ones from outside this timeline. If we're destroyed trying to get to Vulcan then any hope of repairing the timeline is destroyed with us." "Maybe not gentleman," countered Captain Soma. "We might just have a short cut that will get us to Vulcan without having to cross the distance." Archer eyed Soma skeptically. He had a feeling the captain was about to hand them a way out. "What do you mean?" Raising his brow, Soma cocked his head in Archer's direction. "Two words Captain...The Preservers." TBC... -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Wed Feb 04 23:43:00 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n15.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.70]) by cockatoo (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aOBlJ5Y63NZFkl0 for ; Wed, 4 Feb 2004 20:42:47 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13122-1075956009-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo. Received: from [66.218.67.194] by n31.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 05 Feb 2004 04:43:16 -0000 X-Sender: stephenbratliff@earthlink.net X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 10101 invoked from network); 5 Feb 2004 04:43:11 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.218) by m12.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 5 Feb 2004 04:43:11 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO albatross.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.120) by mta3.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 5 Feb 2004 04:43:10 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-021dcwashp0048.dialsprint.net ([63.191.144.48]) by albatross.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1AobLz-0001Fn-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Wed, 04 Feb 2004 20:43:04 -0800 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.120 From: ASC-VSO X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc X-eGroups-Rocket-Track: 1: 100 ; IPCR=n-w0,n100,g0 ; SERVER=66.218.86.247 MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 23:41:32 -0500 Subject: [ASC] ENT: "Enemy of the State" chpt 9 [PG-13] (A,T/Tu,Ma,R,S,P) - Opinions and criticisms appreciated Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. &yhad= ADVERTISEMENT My Groups | ASCL Main Page Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Tue, 03 Feb 2004 18:44:51 -0500 In: alt.startrek.creative From: quills the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Title: Enemy of the State Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat...Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, "Carpenter Street", but before the episode "Harbinger". "The Preservers have been a long standing galactic myth," stated T'Pol flatly. "There is no evidence to support their existence. Hence, the Vulcan Science Directorate has stated they never existed." "The Science Directorate also says time travel is impossible," quipped Soma with a smile. "And yet, here I am." T'Pol arched her brow and gave Soma the closest thing to a 'roll your eyes' expression as any Vulcan could make. "Assuming these Preservers do exist," said Archer trying to prevent a Vulcan debate from starting. "How are they the solution to our problem?" "The Preservers are believed to have been an extremely ancient race," explained Soma, "which date back hundreds if not thousands of millennia. They are believed to be one of the galaxies earliest races among whose efforts was the possible seeding of many of the galaxies presently sentient life bearing worlds." T'Pol gave Soma a questioning look. "Are you suggesting that it is believed that the Preservers are responsible for the dominant species inhabiting many of the planets in our galaxy?" Archer blew out an air of frustration. He could see that Soma could be just as difficult to deal with as T'Pol when it came to sidestepping the minutia and getting to the point of the matter. "Could we save the debate for later," said Archer looking at both Vulcans. "I need to know exactly how these Preservers are going to help us." Soma and T'Pol looked at one another. They both could tell Archer was in no mood for them to debate matters in regard to Preserver existence or galactic influence. Soma cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Archer. "First Captain, the Preservers do not exist anymore," explained Soma. "Rather the technological artifacts they left behind exist." T'Pol folded her arms across her chest as she gave a nondescript arched brow at the comments. "Go on," prompted Archer not wanting to get lost in another debate. "Among the Preserver artifacts that have been discovered on various planets," continued Soma. "Were galactic interspatial corridors." Soma glanced around the table, noticing several confused looks. "Sort of...interstellar transporters. Evidently they enabled the Preservers to travel from one point in the galaxy to any other point in the galaxy." "And you know where one of these 'interstellar transporters are?" asked Reed "I know where one may exist," replied Soma. "Assuming it hasn't been discovered in this time-line." "Careful Captain," interrupted Tucker. "You don't want to go violating any regulations." "That's enough Trip!" barked Archer. He understood his friend's anger, but it was getting in the way of their discussion and he wouldn't stand for anymore from the engineer. Tucker looked at Archer. He could see an angry, impatient look on the man's face. He had crossed a line. One he sensed had been drawn after his actions involving the Vissian cogenitor. Tucker averted his eyes from Archer as he looked down at the conference table. Archer held his gaze on Tucker a few moments longer. The senior staff remained quiet as they waited for Archer to continue the meeting. Looking over at Soma, Archer addressed the Vulcan captain. "You said you know where one can be found?" Soma looked at Tucker one last time as he let out a breath. "Approximately four days from here at maximum warp," replied Soma. "Its on a planet in a star system within the expanse. You and the Enterprise will find it at a later date. According to your Star Logs the technology you found was damaged but you were able to repair it…briefly." "And this technology will enable us to travel to Vulcan," said Archer questioningly, "allowing us to search the Vulcan historical archives and learn just where the time-line has been tampered with." "That sounds about right, sir," replied Soma. Archer remained motionless for several moments. All eyes were focused on the captain, waiting for a decision. Shaking his head slowly, he pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "Captain Soma, you will supply Ensign Mayweather with the necessary coordinates," said Archer. "Use the sensor logs we've accumulated if you need them." "Aye, Captain," said Soma. "Ensign," said Archer turning to Mayweather. "As soon as you have the coordinates, proceed at maximum warp." "Understood, sir," said Mayweather nodding. "Trip, we're going to need you to keep the engines running at maximum." "Don't worry Cap'n," replied Tucker. "I'll have those engines runnin' like a Swiss watch." "I know you will," smiled Archer. Looking around the table he addressed the rest of the senior staff. "Then that's it. Unless anyone else has something to add, this meeting is over." As Archer began to turn, he heard T'Pol's voice and immediately turned back to the table. "Captain, what if the technology is already in someone else's hands?" Archer glanced at Soma, who was shaking his head in agreement, then returned to T'Pol. "We'll deal with that when we get to the planet." TBC... -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Thu Feb 05 23:33:59 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n25.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.81]) by robin (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aOX0z71R3NZFjX1 for ; Thu, 5 Feb 2004 19:50:23 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13138-1076039230-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo. Received: from [66.218.66.157] by n18.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 09 Feb 2004 05:30:44 -0000 X-Sender: stephenbratliff@earthlink.net X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 38133 invoked from network); 9 Feb 2004 05:30:43 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.216) by m17.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 9 Feb 2004 05:30:43 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO cardinal.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.121.226) by mta1.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 9 Feb 2004 05:30:43 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-021dcwashp0340.dialsprint.net ([63.191.145.86]) by cardinal.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1Aq3zf-0000hH-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Sun, 08 Feb 2004 21:30:03 -0800 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.121.226 From: ASC-VSO X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 00:28:38 -0500 Subject: [ASC] ENT: "Enemy of the State" chpt 10 [PG-13] (A,T/Tu,Ma,R,S,P) - Opinions and criticisms appreciated Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. ADVERTISEMENT My Groups | ASCL Main Page Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 08 Feb 2004 01:28:56 -0500 In: alt.startrek.creative From: quills the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Title: "Enemy of the State" 10 Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat...Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, "Carpenter Street", but before the episode "Harbinger". "Chapter 10" Soma made his way down the silent corridor. The night shift had been on for just over five hours and most of the crew, who were off duty, had taken the opportunity to get some much-needed sleep. The past seventy-two hours had been hectic. The entire crew had been working double shifts making whatever final repairs they could to Enterprise's damaged systems. Archer had wanted the ship ready for any possibilities. With systems repaired and the ship only a day from the "Preserver Planet" there was little more to do than wait. Soma rounded the corner of the tiny corridor. He had decided that sleep was not going to visit him tonight, so a visit to the gym seemed the logical choice to work out his frustrations. The Vulcan starship captain had been unnaturally tense since this mission began. He'd been on critical missions before. He'd even had crewmen, close friends, die under his command, but this was different. The mission was different and T'Cel was different. He couldn't help how he felt and no amount of meditation was going to purge those feelings. Coming to the end of the corridor, he came a large door that slid open as he approached. Stepping through, he was greeted by two unexpected but familiar faces. "Malcolm...Hoshi...what are you two doing up so late?" Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato were standing in the middle of the room. Sato had two dumbbells in her hand while Reed was holding a jump rope. Like Soma, they were both in their Starfleet athletic shorts and blue tank tops. "Same as you, sir," replied Reed. "Not sleeping." Soma shook his head and took several steps into the room allowing the door to close behind him. "You don't mind if I join you?" "Not at all, Captain," replied Reed glancing at Hoshi. Soma got the impression he had interrupted something but whatever it had been the two officers were finished with it…for now. Soma gave them a smile and tossed his gray towel onto a nearby weight bench. Walking over to the weight rack, he examined the dumbbells looking for a suitable weight. Frowning as he looked down the line, he could see the highest weight the dumbbells went was sixty pounds. Definitely designed for humans, he thought. Shrugging, he took the sixty-pound dumbbells off the rack and walked over to a corner mat. Standing on the mat, he gripped the dumbbells in each hand as he held them at his side parallel to each other. Reed and Sato went back to their own routines, but after a moment Reed turned to Soma and posed a question. "What do you think we'll find when we get to the planet, Captain?" Soma's brow arched. "Difficult to say," replied Soma, his arms still at his side. "Hopefully nothing more than some ruins and one interspatial gateway." "What if we encounter more of the Vulcans you mentioned in your report?" asked Sato as she stopped in mid curl. "As Captain Archer said," replied Soma. "We'll deal with that when we reach the planet." Hoshi shook her head and was about to start back with her weights when she noticed something odd. Soma was still holding his dumbbells by his side. The Vulcan looked over at the ensign and noticed the curious expression on her face. "Something wrong Hoshi?" The ensign's eyes opened wide. "Um, what exactly are you doing, sir?" "Lifting weights," replied Soma nonchalantly. "But your just holding them," she responded as Reed stopped his own exercise and stepped over to Hoshi's side. "You haven't lifted them once." Soma smiled at the ensign's confused look. "But I am lifting them ensign. Just very slowly." "Why would you want to do that?" asked Reed. 1.footnote "It's more efficient," replied Soma. Reed and Sato studied the Vulcan. After several moments they could see that he had in fact lifted the weights as he said: Very slowly. It was barely perceptible, but he had raised his arms. "How can that possibly be more efficient?" asked Reed not trying to hide his skepticism. "By applying steady and methodical pressure," explained Soma, "I am maximizing the exertion of my muscles." Sato and Reed looked at one another. "Logical weight lifting?" said Hoshi. Reed turned back to Soma; still not convinced. "If it's so efficient, captain, then why aren't more people doing it?" "Because most people are not Vulcans lieutenant," smiled Soma as he raised the weights slightly. Reed could see that the captain was making an effort. Perspiration began to form on the Vulcan's forehead as he held the weights at what was now a ten-degree angle. "So you have to be a Vulcan to do this efficient weight lifting," said Reed. Soma arched his brow again. He could detect the mild annoyance in Reed's tone. "Not at all lieutenant," replied Soma. "It's just that most species do not have the discipline to complete the maneuver. This particular exercise will take nine minutes and twenty seven seconds to complete." The armory officer looked at Soma incredulously. He had to admit that he didn't think he could manage holding the weights let alone raising them slowly for nine minutes. "How much weight do you have?" "Sixty pounds," replied Soma. "Each dumbbell." "Sixty?" said Hoshi in disbelief. Soma nodded his head in a shrug. "It's the largest you had." Suddenly the door slid open, Reed and Sato looked toward it while Soma remained still. Stepping through the opening was Trip Tucker. He was wearing gray sweat pants and a baggy maroon shirt with apparently the same intention as his fellow senior officers "Malcolm, Hoshi," he said nodding and then stopped dead when he saw Soma. Soma glanced over at Tucker. He looked at the man for a moment and then returned to his exercise. Reed and Sato looked at both men and then glanced at each other. The heated exchange that had gone on in the command center briefing three days ago was still fresh in their minds. The two men hadn't seen much of each other since the meeting, with Trip in the engine room and Soma on the bridge with the captain and T'Pol. For a moment, Reed contemplated what he should do. Stay and see what happened or make a discreet exit and let the two men have a few minutes alone. A tug from Hoshi decided the matter for him. "Well captain," said Reed. "I think I'm going to call it a night. Maybe get some juice in the mess hall," he glanced down at Hoshi. "Care to join me Hoshi?" "Sounds good," came Hoshi's quick reply. She was already heading for the exit. "See you later captain...commander." Tucker nodded at Hoshi as she passed him. Reed followed her, glancing at Soma and then Trip. "Don't do anything stupid, Trip," he said quietly as he passed his friend and exited the room. When the door closed behind them, Trip Tucker stood in the middle of the gym. His fists tightly balled up as he looked over at Soma, who was still focusing on his exercise. "Don't do anything stupid," he thought. What the hell does he know. Trip Tucker walked to the opposite side of the room and dropped down on a weight bench. Lying down, he hadn't even bothered to check the weight setting. As he slid under the bar, he tried to lift the bar off the holder and found it was too heavy. Sitting up, he let out a low curse. Looking over at Soma, he could see the Vulcan was apparently not looking in his direction. Getting up, he examined the weight setting as he tried to choose something he could handle. Suddenly, he turned and faced Soma. "So how do you live with yourself?" he asked the Vulcan. Soma let out an audible sigh as he tried to ignore Tucker's comment; continuing to focus on his exercise. "Its just you and me now," said Tucker taking several steps closer to Soma. "Cap'n Archer isn't here. Neither is the senior staff." Soma raised his brow. "Very astute observation." Tucker took several more steps till he had closed the distance between them to little more than three feet. "So why don't you answer the question? Or do you like hidin' behind Cap'n Archer." Soma turned to face Tucker. Gripping the weights in his hand he replied. "I don't hide behind anyone Commander" "Coulda fooled me," smirked Tucker leaning towards Soma. "What is it you want me to say?" "I want you explain how you can casually allow seven million people to die!" spat Tucker. "I explained this to you before," replied Soma. "I have a duty..." 'Bullshit!" yelled Tucker as he cut him off. Soma relaxed his arms, giving up any further interest in completing the exercise. Turning to face Tucker, he looked him in the face. "You're being insubordinate." "What are ya gonna do," said Tucker sarcastically. "Tell the cap'n?" Soma remained silent for a minute as he debated what to do. Tucker was baiting him. Obviously the human had no idea what he was getting himself into. The logical and safest option was to simply leave. Stepping of the mat, Soma walked past Tucker and headed to the dumbbell rack. Tucker turned and followed him apparently not ready to give up. Soma reached the rack and replaced the weights on the rack. Tucker stopped a few feet behind him as he placed his hands to his hips and shook his head in disgust. "You just hide behind your regulations, playin' it safe while other people suffer...even die. You're a god damn coward!" Tucker's words echoed in Soma's ears as the captain closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. Don't do it Jonathan, he told himself as he slowly turned around. Sidestepping Tucker, he made his way for the exit. Moving quickly past the captain, Tucker stepped in front of Sona, blocking him from leaving. "I'm not finished." "No," replied the captain trying to move around him, "but I am." Tucker put his hand on the captain's chest to stop him from moving. It was the last straw. Soma grabbed the man by the wrist, applying enough pressure to force him to release his grip. Instinctively, Tucker threw his arm out, hand balled in a fist, connecting with Soma's face and forcing him to let go of Tucker's wrist. Tucker took a step back, grabbing his wrist in pain. Wincing, he looked up at Soma just in time to see him lunge forward grabbing him by his shirt. Faster than he thought it was possible for a man to move, Soma hoisted him off the deck and swung him through the air until his back connected with the bulkhead on the adjacent wall. "You listen to me, you self absorbed son of a bitch," spat Soma as a white hot rage threatened to consume him. "You aren't the only one who lost someone in this damn war!" He shook his grip on Tucker causing him to shudder against the bulkhead as he winced from the pain. "I lost a woman I cared about and never had the chance to tell her how much she meant to me." Tucker stared at Soma's face. Through his own anger and fear he could see the rage and anguish in the Vulcan's features. "Cap'n...," said Tucker not knowing what to say. Soma gritted his teeth and released his grip on Tucker allowing him to slide down the bulkhead. Soma stood in front of the dazed Tucker for a long moment. His breathing was labored and haggard as he fought to suppress his primal Vulcan instincts. Raising his hand slowly, he pointed at Tucker as he walked towards the exit. "You stay the hell out of my face and just do your damn job," said Soma looking up at Tucker. "And THAT...is a fucking order commander." Turning, he exited the room as the doors slid open. After a moment they closed and Trip Tucker sunk down to his knees as he placed a hand on his bruised and pained shoulder. ------------------- ------------------- T'Pol sat on her bed in her red silken pajamas. She had taken to wearing them ever since Commander Tucker had made the off hand comment that he thought she would "look good in silk". It was a minor indulgence, but she liked how the material felt against her warm skin. Like many of the crew she was finding sleep difficult and had decided to indulge in some reading. The book she was thumbing through was one the captain had loaned her, The Collected Works of Voltaire He had told her it was a good example of one humans view of the good and evil in humans. The sudden chime of her door made her look up reflexively. She looked over at her clock. It was entirely to late for visitors. Putting her book down, she got up and walked to the door. Sliding open, she was greeted by an unexpected visitor. "I'm not disturbin' you?" said Commander Tucker. "Not all, I was just reading," she said gesturing him to come in. "I know it isn't our regular night for nuero-pressure," said Trip as he entered the room. He put his hand to his shoulder and rubbed it the tender muscle. "But I was wonderin' if you minded a short session." "You are having difficulty sleeping?" "Kinda," he replied wincing "I pulled a muscle in my neck. I'd take some pain medication but the Doc told me he wanted me to avoid any while we we're doin' the nuero-pressure." T'Pol nodded and extended her arm toward the floor. "Take off your shirt and assume the Ch'al Tan posture as we practiced." Tucker squatted indian style on the floor as he slowly removed his shirt; the pain in his shoulder increasing the higher he lifted his arm. Once he had the shirt removed, he relaxed his arms letting them drop to his sides. T'Pol examined his neck and shoulder, slowly drawing her index finger across the muscles. Trip sucked in a breath, partly from the pain and partly from her touch. She looked down past his shoulder and saw a deep red blotch just above his right scapula. "There is considerable swelling," she said in concern. "How did this happen?" "I backed into a bulkhead," he replied and then thought better of it. Lying to T'Pol wasn't why he had come here. Neither was the neuro-pressure. Not really. "I had a little help," he shrugged. "Captain Soma." T'Pol looked down at him in surprise and shock. "Jonathan did this to you?" Trip turned slightly, the pain in his shoulder preventing him from moving any further. He looked up at T'Pol for a long moment. Her relationship with Soma was always a point he was never certain of. She always seemed to teeter on the edge between friend and stranger. "I sorta provoked him," said Tucker shamefully. "We were alone in the gym. I cornered him about Lizzy again." She gave him a disapproving look. She wouldn't admit that was what it was, but he knew. "He looked mad as hell," explained Tucker. "I've never seen him that angry." She shook her head. "He is a Vulcan who does not suppress his emotions," she replied quietly. "That can be a dangerous thing to antagonize." "T'Pol," started Tucker uncertain if she could or even would answer his next question "That Vulcan woman that was with the cap'n. Do you know anything about her?" "T'Cel," she said softly as she applied slight pressure to his muscles. "I assume you mean in regards to Captain Soma." Tucker shook his head. "The captain did not say anything directly," said T'Pol "However, from the reaction Captain Archer relayed when he was informed of her death and the manner in which he spoke of her in later conversations, I would have to say they were…intimately acquainted." Tucker closed his eyes, letting his head fall. "Damn," he muttered softly. "I didn't know. I didn't know he'd lost someone special." He shook his head, letting out a long sigh. T'Pol raised her hand, hesitating as she reached to stroke his head. Changing her mind at the last moment, she let her hand settle on his shoulder, which she considered more neutral ground. "You have not spoken of your sister in many weeks." Raising his head he nodded. "I know. I-I thought I was finally gettin' past it. I was findin' my focus again...and you've been like an angel giving me back a good nights sleep...and my sanity." She looked down at the back of his neck as he relayed his confession to her. He had not spoken to her of how he truly felt. "But when the cap'n showed up and said he knew all about the Xindi and their plans," said Tucker shaking his head. "It was like it started all over again. I saw a glimmer of hope for Lizzy and all the stuff I had tried puttin' behind me just came back all at once." She considered what her response should be, if any. Even though she had served with humans longer than any other Vulcan, she still found many facets of their psychology difficult to comprehend. She settled on a suggestion. "I believe it is Captain Soma who should hear that and not me." Trip glanced at her for a moment, and then shook his head. "Guess your right," he said. "We both got open wounds we each made worse without meaning to." T'Pol considered Trip's words. He never ceased to surprise her. The understand and compassion he was capable of once he looked past himself was something wondrous and though she would never admit it to him, he stirred emotions in her she could not quite comprehend. Just then the chime rang again. They both looked up, but T'Pol placed her hand on him gently. "Remain in this posture. I will see who it is." She rose and walked over to the door. As it slid open she was greeted by a second surprise in the same evening. "Hello," said Soma smiling at her. She nodded at him and he looked past her into the room. Seeing Tucker on the floor, his smile faded. He pursed his lips and gave her a raised brow. Tucker turned and seeing Soma he suddenly felt a panic overcome him. "Cap'n," he said. "Um...its not what you think." All Tucker could think of was that he was sitting half naked on T'Pol's floor with only the light from the view port and a handful of candles. "It looks like the Ch'al Tan posture, Mr. Tucker," replied Soma non-chalantly. Tucker looked up at Soma with a confused expression. "Uh...ok...it's exactly what you think it is." Tucker turned his back to both Vulcans feeling he had embarrassed himself enough for one night. He had considered talking to Soma, but remembered what the Vulcan had said to him. It would be better to let him cool off and then talk to him. "T'Pol," said Soma as he handed her a data padd. "I wanted to drop off this list for the away teams." T'Pol looked at the padd, scanning down the away team assignments. Looking up, she eyed Soma curiously. "You have removed Corporal Cole from the security detail. Is they're a problem with the corporal." Soma gave her a smile. "Trust me, you'll thank me later." She considered asking him exactly what he meant by that, but suspected she did not in fact want to know. "Well," said Soma. "I'll let you get back to Commander Tucker. Good night." She nodded at him slightly as he turned away. Stopping he turned back. "Oh and Sub-Commander," he said with mischievous grin. "Don't keep him up too late. He has a big day tomorrow." T'Pol's eyes widened at the comment and Soma was quite certain she blushed. Turning away, he headed down the corridor. She watched him, still stunned by his comment, until he disappeared around the corner. Turning around abruptly, she headed back to Tucker as the door closed behind her. TBC... Footnote 1.) Just to give credit where credit is do, I did not invent 'logical weightlifting'. I read it in either a Trek novel or someone else's fan fiction. I thought it made sense for Vulcans to find a logical and efficient way of exercising so I borrowed the idea. -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! 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Mon Feb 09 00:36:32 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n31.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.99]) by killdeer (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aQ42L11h3NZFlr0 for ; Sun, 8 Feb 2004 21:33:14 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13146-1076304620-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo. oo.com Received: from [66.218.67.198] by n27.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 28 Mar 2004 21:53:40 -0000 X-Sender: stephen@trekiverse.org X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 39852 invoked from network); 28 Mar 2004 21:53:39 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.172) by m5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 28 Mar 2004 21:53:39 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO cardinal.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.121.226) by mta4.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 28 Mar 2004 21:53:39 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-040dcwashp0149.dialsprint.net ([207.9.248.149]) by cardinal.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1B7iDa-0004KN-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Sun, 28 Mar 2004 13:53:23 -0800 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.121.226 X-eGroups-From: Stephen From: Stephen X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 16:53:16 -0500 Subject: [ASC] NEW ENT Enemy of the State Chpt 13/? (A, T, Tu, H, R, P, S, Soma) Action, Romance, Adv enture PG13 Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 01:54:49 -0500 In: alt.startrek.creative From: Quills Title: "Enemy of the State" 13 Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, "Carpenter Street", but before the episode "Harbinger". Chapter 13 The sleek black ship rested on the lower platform of the shuttle bay. It was the only vessel occupying that level, and not for it's size. The Vulcan shuttle was roughly twice as large as one of Enterprise's shuttle pods. There was adequate room on the upper deck, where the shuttle pods were birthed, but Captain Archer had wanted the shuttle isolated and accessible from any direction. Enterprise had, had to resort to extreme measures to disable the craft. The captain wasn't about to let his guard down expecting the occupants to give up serenely. "Lieutenant?" said Archer, looking over at Reed. The tactical officer was directly to his right, crouched down behind a poly-alloy storage container; phase rifle nestled in the crook of his arm. "My security team is in position, sir," replied Reed. "Major Hayes' MACOS are covering them from the upper deck." Archer had placed Reed in charge of securing the shuttle bay, once the Vulcan ship was aboard. Reed in turn placed Hayes and his MACOS on backup duty. A task, the tactical officer felt befitted the major and his superfluous squad of grunts as Reed had come to refer to them. Archer had noticed friction building between his security chief and the MACO team leader. He preferred his officers to settle their differences between themselves. Archer wasn't the fatherly type, but if the friction between Reed and Hayes started to interfere with their jobs he was going to put them both in their place. Right now, he had more pressing issues. "Alright," said Archer, "have your team open the hatch." Reed nodded and pulling out his communicator, flipped-open the antennae grid. "Move in." Almost instantly, two blue uniformed security officers bolted from behind a cluster of stacked containers, a sandy blond haired male and a fiery red haired female. Ensign Thomas "Tommy" Baits and Lieutenant junior grade Marcia Clarkson. Two of Malcolm Reed's original security team from Enterprise's maiden voyage. Reed always gave them the 'touch and go' assignments, because they had the most experience dealing with hostile aliens both on and off the ship. The two security personnel made their way across the platform. Stopping short of the shuttle, they ducked behind another large cargo container. Both officers studied the shuttle, looking for any sign that their presence had been observed. Baits glanced upward, looking one deck above them. He caught site of two of the MACOS covering their movement. Tapping on Clarkson's shoulder, he motioned the lieutenant to look up. Glancing in the direction he had pointed, she nodded. "They're just giving us a little protection," she replied. "That's what I call a 'little' protection," he whispered sarcastically. Clarkson smiled. "Tommy, you sound like Lieutenant Reed." Baits just grunted at her. He often had the habit of siding with his commanding officer. The young ensign admired Reed and saw the MACOs as a clear threat to Reed's authority as Enterprise's chief of security. Clarkson drew her phase pistol and motioned Baits to follow her. They moved quickly and quietly from the safety the cargo container had afforded them to the open area of the shuttle bay platform. As they moved across the platform, the eyes of both officers moved from the shuttle to the security and MACO personnel that were giving them cover. Once they reached the aft section of the shuttle, Clarkson and Baits edged along the outside, crouched down, as they made their way from the trailing edge, towards the forward section. They could see a small hatchway, plainly visible three quarters up the length of the shuttle. When they were within a meter of the access hatch, they stopped. Clarkson swung the small utility bag she had been carrying so it rested on her knee. Opening it, she pulled out a medium size cylindrical object with a black casing and metallic silver edge work. There was a keypad and a small display panel on the topside of the object. Pressing several of the keypad buttons, Clarkson 'armed' the device. "Give me a spot," she whispered. Ensign Baits pulled out his hand scanner. Directing the device at the shuttle hatchway, he scanned the configuration of the locking mechanism. After several moments, he looked up at Clarkson. "Right side…center." Nodding, she raised her hand signaling him to cover her. Raising his weapon, he motioned her to proceed. Taking a deep breath, Clarkson moved towards the hatchway. Taking careful, slow steps, she passed the hatchway and stopped when she had reached the opposite side. Leaning over, she affixed the device to the hatchway door. She heard the tiny ping of the magnetic contacts connecting with the shuttle's metal surface. Swallowing hard, she reached up to the keypad to activate the arming sequence. As she touched the keypad a loud metal bang sounded from the other side of the door. It's a trap! Clarkson sucked in a breath as her eyes went wide. In the time it took her to complete that single biological function a blue energy beam erupted from the now opening hatchway. The beam connected with her chest sending her careening backwards several meters across the shuttle platform. Landing hard on the deck, Clarkson's body lay motionless. "Oh shite!" yelled Reed. Archer looked past the cargo container that had been affording him protection. Pulling his phase pistol out he glanced at Clarkson. He could see black charring on her uniform. Whatever the Vulcans were using was set to kill! "Lieutenant, lay down fire," yelled Archer. "Get them out of there!" Reed already had his communicator open. He was issuing orders to his people and the MACO support team. Within seconds, streams of multiple phase rifle and pistol fire struck the side of the shuttle, leaving heavy pitting along the shuttle's surface. "Tommy, move!" shouted Reed over the din of phaser fire. Tommy Baits gritted his teeth as he pushed himself off the side of the shuttle. Weapons fire was coming from all directions as he crossed the open platform. His heart raced as he ran for the downed Lieutenant Clarkson. "What the hell!" muttered Reed. "No Tommy, just run for cover." But the young ensign either couldn't hear the tactical officer or chose not to listen. Either way, he was now exposed and in the direct line of site to the shuttle hatchway. "Bloody Hell," cursed Reed as he stood up. Before Archer could react, Reed ran past him and around the cargo container they had been using for cover. Vaulted over the railing, he dropped down to the deck below. "Malcolm," Archer yelled angrily. The tactical officer landed on the lower deck and started racing across the platform, ignoring Archer's repeated order to stop. Stepping from behind the container, Archer crouched in front of the deck railing. Aiming at the shuttle hatchway. Opening fire with his phase pistol, he sent blue lances into the shuttle interior. As Reed ran across the deck, he yelled at Ensign Bates, "Move Tommy!" Bates, who had reached Lieutenant Clarkson, was dazed as he kneeled over the woman's body. He could see the heavy charring on her back, where the weapon's beam had cut through. Not paying attention, to either Reed or the continuous crossfire, the ensign was oblivious to several shots in his immediate direction. Seeing the weapons fire from the shuttle getting closer to Baits, Lieutenant Reed dove in the ensign's direction colliding with the man and knocking him backwards as an electric blue lance of energy passed where he just been kneeling. Before Reed could get up, he caught the sudden movement of a black near the hatchway. The movement blurred against the equally black shuttle and as he turned to focus on the object, he felt boot connect with his face. Reeling back, he could hear a crunching sound as bone and cartilage were forced together. A spray of pain forced him to squeeze his eyes shut as tasted blood in his mouth. Looking through bleary eyes, he could see the blurry form of a man in black armor standing over him. As he tried to focus, the man raised his hand at him. He had something, but Reed was having trouble focusing. A weapon! It had to be. Before he could react, the figure moved out of his field of view. Pushed would be a more accurate description. Ensign Baits had recovered enough to see Reed was in danger. He had thrown himself at the armored man. They both landed with a crash on the hard deck. Baits immediately began to slam the armored man's helmet against the deck until it was jarred loose. Pulling the helmet off, he caught a glimpse of the green blood smeared face of a female Vulcan. Before he could react, struck him hard on the chest, sending sliding across the deck. Standing up, the Vulcan looked on the floor for her weapon. As she did so, several blue lances shot out of the darkened areas of shuttle bay. The beams struck her in multiple spots, causing her to stagger backwards. But she did not fall. Instead, she renewed her search for her weapon so she could return fire. As the Enterprise security team and MACOs continued to fire at the Vulcan, her companion exited the shuttle, returning fire. Several phase beams struck the second Vulcan in the chest, but the armored figure quickly shrugged the effects off. "Increase yield strength," shouted Archer. "We have to punch through their armor." As he yelled the order, the female Vulcan turned in his direction. She had made his position and giving up on trying to find her weapon, ran towards him with lightening speed. Firing at her as she approached, Archer tried increasing the yield strength on his pistol. Stopping for a moment, he changed the setting and looked up to see the Vulcan had already reached him. Raising his weapon to fire, he felt the sharp connect of her armor gloved hand strike his own bare hand knocking the phase pistol to the floor. Grabbing Archer by the throat, the Vulcan pulled him down onto the stairwell as she began to choke the life out of him. Desperately he tried to break her iron grip, but his efforts were futile. She was not only stronger than he was, but she was insanely stronger. The wild look in her eyes told him that his death was all she cared about right now. Feeling his throat constrict under her tight grip, Archer could sense he was about to lose consciousness. Suddenly, the pressure of the Vulcan's fingers wrapped around his throat slackened and he suddenly felt the new pressure of her heavy armored body collapsing on him like so much dead weight. Gasping for air, he fought to push the armored body of him so he could fill his air-starved lungs. "Captain!" shouted Hayes as he came running up. "Are you alright, sir?" Archer sat up as he continued to take in deep breaths. He steadied himself against the railing as he nodded mutely at Hayes. Looking past the Major, he could see Lieutenant Reed standing over the second armored figure, holding a phase rifle like a baseball bat; the butt end twisted and mangled. "Are you sure, sir," repeated Hayes in concern. "Fine, Major," replied Archer he stood up slowly. He looked at Hayes and then down at the unconscious Vulcan that had tried to strangle him. He could see the purple mottling on the man's face caused by Hayes' weapon's fire. "Quick thinking aiming for her head." "Yes, sir." Archer nodded. "Good work," he said finally catching his breath. " Now get some of your team together and escort these two to the brig. Tell Doctor Phlox he can examine them there…but I want a guard with him at all times. Understood?" "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir" Hayes gave Archer a curt nod and then turned on his heels. He immediately started barking orders at his team to secure the two prisoners. Archer walked down the remaining steps and approached Reed and Baits. The two men had gone over to Lieutenant Clarkson's body. Reed was kneeling down, holding her head in his lap. She was dead; that was evident and it did nothing to dispel the anger Archer felt for his armory officer. His jaw set square, he gave Reed a piercing stare. Not bothering to look at Baits he spoke curtly to the young man. "Will you excuse us Ensign." Baits glanced at Reed for a second and then nodded his head somberly as he rose. "Yes, sir," he replied weakly. Archer continued to stare down at Reed who was still holding the lifeless body of Marcia Clarkson. Reed could see the anger in his captain's face. "You could have been lying next to her Malcolm," said Archer. Kneeling down, Archer took in a deep breath allowing his eyes to wander over the length of the shuttle. He was too angry with Reed to look at the man. "You've always had a 'hero complex' Lieutenant. I've allowed it in the past. That's my fault. I won't allow it anymore," he said turning towards Reed. "You are this ship's tactical officer. I need your experience in the field and on the bridge. I can't use that experience if you're dead!" "Sir..." "I'm not interested!" yelled Archer, anger boiling to the surface. He glanced around and noticed several crewmen and MACOS staring at his outburst. As soon as they saw him look up, they resumed their duty or found some. Returning his attention to Reed, Archer tried to control his anger. "From now on lieutenant, you will not place yourself in unnecessary danger without my express orders. If you find your need to play hero and endanger yourself is in conflict with that then speak-up now." "No, sir," replied Reed. "I understand, sir." "I hope so lieutenant," replied Archer. "Because there is more riding on this mission than your ego." Reed looked at Archer. A wounded expression passed over his face. The captain was right. He had endangered himself; an action that had almost proved fatal. At the time, he thought it was the best option. One of his people was in danger. What he didn't consider…what he should have considered was that as much as every crewmember on the ship was important, there were members that could not be replaced. That made them more important and not expendable. "Take care of Lieutenant Clarkson's body," said Archer. "Then I want you and Hoshi to go over this shuttle's database. I want every bit of information you can get…and I don't care how trivial it is." "Yes, sir," replied Reed nodding his head. Taking a deep breath, he hefted Lieutenant Clarkson's body in his arms as he rose to his feet. Archer watched as his tactical officer carried the woman off the platform and into the darkened recess of the shuttle bay. TBC… -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Sun Mar 28 16:56:21 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n24.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.80]) by cockatoo (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1b7IdZ5Oq3NZFkl0 for ; Sun, 28 Mar 2004 13:53:47 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13331-1080510824-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah oo.com Received: from [66.218.67.200] by n15.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 08 Apr 2004 08:15:41 -0000 X-Sender: stephen@trekiverse.org X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 57299 invoked from network); 8 Apr 2004 03:33:55 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.167) by m8.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 8 Apr 2004 03:33:55 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO turkey.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.126) by mta6.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 8 Apr 2004 03:33:55 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-022dcwashp0481.dialsprint.net ([63.191.161.227]) by turkey.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1BBQHn-0003ZU-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Wed, 07 Apr 2004 20:33:04 -0700 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.126 X-eGroups-From: Stephen From: Stephen X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 23:32:25 -0400 Subject: [ASC] ENT: Enemy of the State Chpt 14/? (A, T, Tu, H, R, P, S, Soma) Action, Romance, Advent ure PG13 Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Fri, 02 Apr 2004 03:06:29 -0500 In: alt.startrek.creative From: Quills Title: "Enemy of the State" 14 Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, “Carpenter Street”, but before the episode “Harbinger”. Chapter 14 Trip Tucker watched in horror as Soma was pulled out the cave opening. He could see the Vulcan flailing wildly, desperately trying to grab hold of something to stop his movement. But Tucker could also see the effort was useless. As jagged as the cave walls were, there wasn’t any handholds or outcroppings for Soma to grab hold of. In moments, the Vulcan would be pulled out of the cave and into the waiting maw of the ‘meg’. “Jonathan!” Tucker shouted frantically through his communicator as his mind raced. What could he do? His own air supply was rapidly escaping his harness. He would never have enough air to mount a rescue and even if he did, how could he hope to stop the creature. Struggling to stand, his eyes darted frantically, stopping suddenly on a dark silhouette lying on the cave floor. The UCR! he realized, reaching down to pick up the MACO rifle. It occurred to him that Soma must have laid it down when he had tried to free him from the tangled guide rope. With the UCR in hand, Tucker pushed off the jagged cave bottom, propelling himself towards the cave opening. Bolting through the water, he reached for his web belt, fumbling for one of the pouches. “Come on,” he said, watching a continuous trail of bubbles leave his harness. “I know it’s there, dammitt! I packed it.” Reaching into the pocket, his fingers grasped at empty space. Had the contents spilled out when he was dragged down the cave? He couldn’t go back to look. Pressing his fingers deep into the pouched, he made one last effort to find the object he desperately needed. His fingers stretched and touched metal. Grasping in relief around the cylindrical object, Tucker pulled it from his pouch. Holding the MACO rifle in the crook of his arm, he used his now free hand to tear off the cap on the cylinder. Turning the cylinder upside down, he jab the short end into his arm, feeling a pricking sensation on his skin. The emergency tri-ox compound flowed through his veins. Tri-ox was normally used in emergency situations. It gave a diver a few extra minutes of breathing time if his air supply ran out. As long as the diver kept water from entering his lungs, the tri-ox would feed the body the necessary ‘chemical oxygen’ equivalent. Reaching the cave opening he looked out into the open basin. Soma was nowhere to be seen. He was too late! That sea devil had pulled his friend out and made short work of him before Tucker could get to him. Gritting his teeth in anger, Tucker pushed himself from the cave opening and into the open basin. That monster may have killed his friend, but Tucker swore Soma would have company if it were up to him. Looking across the basin, Tucker could see the yellow and red striped sea grass they had used to cover their earlier movement. Scanning the darker water for any sign of the ‘meg’, Tucker gripped the handle of the MACO rifle. He was scared. He didn’t have a death wish, but he wasn’t about to let his friend’s death go unavenged. A sudden movement in his peripheral vision caused Tucker to react. Raising his weapon, he turned and pointed in the direction he had detected the movement. Breathing steadily he looked for any further movement. For a long tense moment, he waited and watched. Suddenly a section of sea grass parted at the far end of the basin. The sleek gray form of the meg, shot out of the tall sea grass like a torpedo. Tucker barely had time to react as the meg came speeding for his position. Throwing himself down to the basin floor, he made his body go completely flat as the rush of sea current moved over him. The large predator sped over him rapidly. Glancing up, he could see the neon guide rope attached to the creature’s mouth. He had been right. He had hoped…prayed he had been wrong and that some how Soma had escaped. Tucker’s eyes followed the tattered guide rope from the meg’s mouth down past it’s sleek body to… “Jonathan!” he shouted as he saw the body of Captain Soma being pulled through the water. Pushing himself off the sandy floor, he keyed his communicator. “Jonathan, can you hear me?” Getting no response, Tucker strained to see Soma’s form as he was pulled behind the meg. He couldn’t see any sign of movement or struggle. What he did see caused his fear and anxiety to return, a light-green smear on the inside of Soma’s faceplate Blood. Frantically, he swam across the basin, following the meg. Soma was alive and Tucker wasn’t going to give up on him. He wasn’t sure if the meg realized Soma was on the other end of its dental floss. Watching the meg zig zag through the water he saw in horror that the big fish was indeed aware. Banking sharply, the meg caused Soma’s limp body to continue forward, crashing against the sandy bottom only to be violently jerked forward as the meg sped off in the opposite direction. It’s playin’ with him! thought Tucker. Jeezus, I gotta cut em loose before that thing gets bored and decides to tear him to pieces. Moving towards the meg, Tucker quickly realized that he wasn’t getting any closer. It was moving away from him and taking Soma with it. He needed to attract the meg’s attention and get it to come back in his direction. Looking down at his rifle, a sly grin formed on his lips. Raising the rifle, he took aim directly at the meg. “I hope yer right about this thing pissin’ him off, Jonathan.” Pulling the trigger, the rifle recoiled violently sending Tucker falling backwards. He landed hard on the sea floor and the MACO rifle flew from his hands. Looking up, he saw what appeared to be a bubble heading towards the meg. The big fish, sensing danger, turned suddenly in time to be hit squarely in whatever passed for its snout. The MACO rifle’s compressed water discharge struck the meg with a concussive blow causing it to fish tail wildly. I think that did the trick, Tucker thought as he pushed off the sea floor. Raising his arms, he flailed frantically letting the angry fish know where the source of its annoyance had come from. “Come on ya oversized sardine,” he shouted. “I’m over here. Don’t ya know a dinner bell when one slams ya in the face!” The meg continued to thrash wildly in agitation. The MACO rifle had apparently caused it no injury, but had put the large fish in a frenzied state. Continuing to thrash, the creature turned in Tucker’s direction. Suddenly, and quite deliberately, the meg stopped. Remaining quite motionless in the water, it faced Tucker as it’s three black eyes focused on him. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Slowly, Tucker moved back. He watched the meg’s body begin to flex as it started to move forward. Tucker had been positively ‘made’ by the creature. Glancing to either side, he saw open basin. No where to run, he thought. Ok, ugly… Reaching for his web belt, Tucker grasped the hilt of his knife. Pulling it from the scabbard, he waved the shiny metal blade through the water. “Come on! What the hell are ya waitin’ for? Come and get me!” The meg stopped, its gray body floating a hundred meters from Tucker. Watching the tiny human standing in the open basin, the meg seemed almost disinterested for a moment; as if Tucker were no longer a worthwhile effort. Suddenly, the creature made a violent thrash propelling it forward, its body rippling a mass of hard muscles pushing it with lightening speed through the water. Standing his grand, Tucker gripped his knife tightly. He couldn’t move, not yet. If the creature lost sight of him, it might change its direction and he would lose any chance of rescuing Soma. Swallowing hard, Tucker watched as the meg closed in on him. The creature, seconds away, was now racing across the basin with only a few meters of space between it and the ocean floor. Tucker suddenly realized his plan to drop to the floor and let the meg pass over him again wasn’t going to work. This fish was going to skim the floor and rip him to pieces in the process. Frantically, Tucker looked for an alternative. The MACO rifle lay too far out of reach and the basin was wide open. His options were dwindling along with his time. The meg would be on top of him in a matter of seconds. Suddenly a small trail of bubbles passed in front of Tucker’s faceplate; the last of his harness’ air supply dissolving in the water. Seeing the meg was almost on top of him, he reached up as fast as his hands could move and opened the clamps on his harness. Pulling the air cabling free, he swung the harness around just as the creature slammed into him, it’s large jaws wide open. Using the harness as a makeshift shield, Tucker pushed hard against it. The harness slammed into the creature’s snout, scraping against the razor teeth in it’s outstretched jaws. Fighting to keep the harness between him and the meg, Tucker shifted the plate as the creature propelled them both through the water. Tucker, realizing that his tactic was only delaying the inevitable, gripped his side of the harness. Forcing what little strength he had left, into his arms, he pushed up and off the harness; sending him vaulting over the creature’s head and down its length as it continued forward. Gripping his knife, Tucker reached out for the neon guide rope. Grasping at the rope, it thrashed out of reach from the creature’s movement. Seeing the futility in trying to grab the rope, Tucker twisted his body so the momentum carried him downward. Cutting through the water, he collided with a hard slam into Soma. Holding onto the Vulcan for dear life, Tucker gritted his teeth. His head began to spin. Either the impact had been harder than he thought or his tri-ox was running out. Lifting his knife took all the focus and energy he could manage. His eyesight now blurry, Tucker forced his hand down on the guide rope. Slashing the knife blade across the rope, he struggled to remain conscious as he cut into the frayed rope. Looking over at Soma, he struggled to focus. Looking into his faceplate, he could see the Vulcan’s eyes briefly open. “Don’t you die on me, mister! I’m getting us off this ride…now!” Screaming into his faceplate, Tucker lifted his knife blade. Dragging it across the final cord of rope, the blade cut through, snapping the line in two. Soma and Tucker immediately fell away from the speeding meg as their momentum carried them at a down angle. Both men hit the basin floor with a hard crash. Tucker, barely able to move, looked up to see the meg circling back. It had worked and he had gotten Soma free. But now they were both easy targets on the ocean floor and Tucker could feel the last of the tri-ox compound fade from his system. Struggling to get up, fell down, face first on the sandy bottom. He strained to see where the meg was, expecting the creature to be seconds away. Looking up, he caught the familiar site of three compressed weapons discharges striking the meg and sending it careening off its intended course. The creature thrashed wildly as a second volley of compression fire struck it lengthwise. Tucker struggled to look behind him, but he didn’t have the strength. Turning his attention back to the meg, he watched as the creature made two more passes along the outer perimeter of the basin and then quickly darted back into the inky abyss from which it had come. Smiling to himself, he wanted to thank whoever had shown up to save them, but his head dropped forward as he lost consciousness. He was finally out of air. _____ _____ “Charles.” Charles Tucker III groaned as he felt the aching throb in his head…both his arms…his back. In fact, he was certain there wasn’t one spot on his body that didn’t ache and on top of that he was hearing things. He actually thought he heard someone call his name. “Charles?” Someone was calling his name. It was sweet and pleasant, a feminine voice. His father used to tell him that angels would greet his soul when he died and take him to heaven. Maybe he was in heaven. Opening his eyes, he focused on the first image that came into view. “T’Pol?” he said in confusion. “Are you an angel?” T’Pol arched her brow and frowned at the engineer. “What would lead you to believe that I am a mythical winged representative of one of your planet’s many deities?” “Because I’m dead and you called me Charles,” he said with a weak smile. “So, I must be in heaven.” “Or perhaps you are suffering from some form of psychosis,” she countered. “However, I assure you that you are not dead. We are in one of the submerged pressurized caverns.” Tucker squinted and briefly looked around. They were in a relatively dry cave, with a small lagoon several meters from his feet. He decided that he was definitely not in heaven. “Ok, so I’m not in heaven and you’re no angel,” he said attempting to sit up. T’Pol placing her hand against his back, helped him into an upright position. “But ya still called me Charles,” he said grinning at her. T’Pol swallowed slightly as a tinge of green bloom came to her cheeks. Before she could give a suitable response, he asked another question. “The meg?” he said in confusion. “Gone,” T’Pol replied curtly. “It was you,” he said. “You fired the compression rifle.” “Yes,” said T’Pol nodding her head slightly. “I heard you over the open communicator channel. Unfortunately, I did not arrive in time to stop you from attempting your rescue of the captain. All I could do was watch and wait for an opportunity to lend assistance.” Tucker suddenly bolted to a standing position. “Jonathan!” T’Pol grabbed Tucker, forcing the man to stop. “Commander!” she said forcefully. “Captain Soma is alright.” Tucker turned and looked at T’Pol. He face was calm and impassive, but with a slight sense of understanding. Releasing her grip on his arm, she gestured up the small lagoon shore. “He’s lying right over there.” Rushing over to his friend, Tucker kneeled down next to the unconscious Soma. The Vulcan had his harness and helmet removed but was still wearing his wet suit. “How?” was all Tucker could get out. “After I the creature was driven off,” explained T’Pol. “I found you both unconscious on the basin floor. Since you were without your harness, I administered a dose of tri-ox compound. I then carried you and the captain back to the cave and into this pressurized cavern.” Tucker looked at her as continued her recount of what had happened after he lost consciousness. “I would have preferred returning to the surface, but I would not have been able to carry the both of you. So the cave was the next logical choice.” Tucker shook his head, looking back at Soma. T’Pol studied him for a moment. She knew he was still concerned over their son’s well being. “Vulcan physiology is quite resilient,” she commented. “He has suffered some heavy bruising along with a number of cuts and scrapes, but he will be fine.” “What about the blood,” he said looking at the dry green blood caked around the center of Soma’s face. Before T’Pol could reply, a low moan came from Soma. Tucker turned and leaning down placed his hands on the man’s shoulders. “Jonathan.” Soma swallowed and his eyes began to flutter. “D-Dad?” T’Pol looked down at her son in surprise. Glancing over at Tucker, she saw him shaking his head. “Jonathan, it’s me, Chief Tucker.” Opening his eyes, Soma looked up at Tucker. “Chief?” he said in a dazed and confused voice. “W-What happened?” Tucker shook his head. “You almost wound up fish food,” he said smiling. “That’s what happened.” Soma closed his eyes. “I remember…being dragged.” “You were untanglin’ the line from my legs,” explained Tucker. “Ya got a bit tangled yourself and then that big fish started pullin’ on the other end. He dragged you out of the cave and banged you up pretty good in the bargain.” Soma forced himself to open his eyes as he looked up at Tucker. “You…you came after me,” he said. “You saved my life.” “Guess I did,” smiled Tucker. “But I can’t take all the credit. T’Pol saved us both. She sent that big fish packin’ with the compression rifle.” Soma looked past Tucker and for the first time noticed T’Pol standing behind him. He gave her a weak smile as she looked back at him. “Commander Tucker was able to free you from the creature,” explained T’Pol “Once the two of you were clear, I was able to use the compression rifle, which I had retrieved.” “She gave me a shot of tri-ox and carried the two us here,” finished Tucker. “Here…where are we?” asked Soma still confused. “One of the pressurized caves we detected on Enterprise’s sensors,” replied T’Pol. “When you left to see what was keeping Commander Tucker, I continued scanning the tunnel system.” Soma shook his head. ”But you said the mineral deposits were interfering with your scans.” “They were,” she replied “However, I was able to filter out enough extraneous data to get a more accurate reading. If I had continued scanning with interference then I would quite probably have missed this opening. It was only a few meters away from our position.” Soma took a deep breath. Looking up at both tucker and T’Pol, he smiled. “Good work…both of you…I-I…” T’Pol looked down at Soma. “You’re not going to get emotional, are you?” “Captain’s prerogative,” he laughed and then winced. Placing his finger along the edge of his nose, he could feel bruising along with some swelling. “Oh crap, I think I broke my nose.” “Yes,” said T’Pol. “That is what accounts for the blood on your face and on the inside of your helmet.” Soma shook his head as he held his nose. “I vaguely remember getting my face slammed into it.” “Your lucky that’s all ya broke,” said Tucker. “I’ll have Phlox take care of it when we get back,” he said. “Right now, we need to…” “You need to remain where you are,” said T’Pol. “Both of you. I will investigate this cavern and determine if it connects with any others.” Soma wanted to protest, but he just didn’t have the energy. Shaking his head, he agreed. “Take a phaser with you and be careful,” he told her. “I don’t want you wandering to far.” “I believe I have the situation well in hand, Jonathan.” Trip smiled at her and looked down at Soma. “I’ll make sure he stays out of trouble.” T’Pol arched her brow. “But who will make sure that you stay out of trouble.” Before Tucker could respond, T’Pol walked over to her equipment bag. Pulling out a phase pistol, a flashlight and her portable scanner, she headed into the deeper recesses of the cavern. Once she left their site, Tucker turned to Soma. “I think she’s enjoying this.” “Careful Chief, she can still hear you.” Tucker chuckled and sat back as Soma closed his eyes. T’Pol had been right. Neither of them was in any kind of shape to go exploring. Once she returned, they would have to contact Enterprise and appraise Archer of the situation. “Capn’, can I ask you something personal?” Soma’s eyes remained closed but he nodded his head. “Go ahead.” “What was your father like?” ”My father?” said Soma opening his eyes in surprise. “I don’t mean ta pry,” said Tucker. “It’s just that ya called out to him when we tried to revive ya.” Soma looked down at the rocky cavern floor. This was a topic he had managed to sidestep in the past. He wanted to tell Tucker who he was. But he also knew he had no right burdening the man with his future. Now, apparently he had inadvertently said something that piqued the man’s curiosity. “He was…” Soma started, pausing to choose the right words. He didn’t want to give his father any further reason to speculate, but he also wanted to convey how he truly felt about him. He might not be able to embrace Tucker as his father, but he could certainly let him know what meant to him. “He was always there when I needed him…watching over me…keeping me safe. He was very human…sometimes a bit more than my mother preferred, but he loved us both and…and I miss him very much.” Trip looked at Soma as the words sunk in. For some reason, they seem to mean more to him than they should. He wasn’t sure why. It was as if he felt a connection to Soma on a level he couldn’t explain, a hidden meaning just beyond his reach. The two men remained quiet for several minutes. They each needed rest and talking about Soma’s father didn’t seem like it was a subject that was conducive to resting. They would wait for T’Pol’s return and then plan their next strategy once they had contacted the Enterprise. “Captain!” Tucker and Soma both turned at the sound of T’Pol’s voice. They could see her coming back towards them from the darkened cave recess she had entered several minutes earlier. “Everything all right?” asked Soma. “I believe so,” said T’Pol. “I have found the Preserver’s technology.” TBC… -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Thu Apr 08 02:25:59 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n16.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.71]) by killdeer (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bbsZm6TS3NZFlr0 for ; Wed, 7 Apr 2004 23:26:11 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13361-1081405568-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah oo.com Received: from [66.218.66.157] by n18.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 08 Apr 2004 03:37:20 -0000 X-Sender: stephen@trekiverse.org X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 14582 invoked from network); 8 Apr 2004 03:37:18 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.166) by m17.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 8 Apr 2004 03:37:17 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO turkey.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.126) by mta5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 8 Apr 2004 03:37:17 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-022dcwashp0481.dialsprint.net ([63.191.161.227]) by turkey.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1BBQLp-0004If-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Wed, 07 Apr 2004 20:37:14 -0700 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.126 X-eGroups-From: Stephen From: Stephen X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 23:36:37 -0400 Subject: [ASC] ENT: Enemy of the State Chpt 15/? (A, T, Tu, H, R, P, S, Soma) Action, Romance, Advent ure PG13 Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark & Cana Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US da. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/5x3olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 00:43:43 -0400 In: alt.startrek.creative From: Quills Title: "Enemy of the State" 15 Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, "Carpenter Street", but before the episode "Harbinger". Chapter 15 Captain's starlog, date…unknown. It has been eleven hours since Captain Soma and the search team reported finding the Preserver technology. During that time Commander Tucker and an engineering crew, with the assistance of Sub-Commander T'Pol and Captain Soma, have been studying the Preserver 'transporter' in the hope that it will allow us to cross the long distance to Vulcan. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato have made progress accessing and translating the Vulcan database aboard the captured shuttle. We are working against the clock. The shuttle we captured undoubtedly has a base or mother ship to report to. It will only be a matter of time before someone comes looking for it…and finds us. The crew is tense but discipline is being maintained. They know what's at stake and will do whatever it takes for our mission to succeed. Commander Tucker threw the servo wrench against the metal casing, making a loud clang that echoed through the cavernous chamber. "Dammit!" he swore as he rubbed the stiff muscles in his neck. Several of his engineering staff glanced over at their commander. They knew exactly how he felt. Tucker and his crew had been working on the Preserver technology that he T'Pol and Soma had found in the submerged pressurized cave. He had only taken enough time to return to the ship, change, let Phlox check him over and grab whatever equipment he might need. That was just under ten hours ago. Tucker had suggested sending emergency locator beacons down to the cave. It would allow the ship's transporter to isolate a location and minimize the danger of a transporter accident. This would allow transport of any necessary equipment the team might need, saving time and the equally dangerous ocean diving that he had unfortunately had first hand experience with. However, since a degree of danger still existed, only essential personnel would use the transporter. It was strictly on a volunteer basis, but Tucker found no shortage in that department. He and his team had made early progress, with the assistance of Captain Soma. The Vulcan had made a small study of Preserver technology, having encountered it more than once during his career. He was able to decipher a great deal of the controls to the device, but the technology itself was more complex than any he had previously encountered. Soon the captain was as mystified by the workings of the alien 'transporter' as his twenty second century counterparts. The technology was largely intact, although it had been scattered throughout the cavern. Although Soma had been able to translate the majority of the control readouts and settings, it was up to Tucker and his crew, along with T'Pol, to cobble the machine together so the system worked. So far, they had restored the device modules to what appeared to be the correct configuration, but had, had almost no positive results. The machine panels illuminated briefly, only to wink out. Tucker was at a loss to find the cause and it, along with a lack of sleep, was beginning to annoy him. "Chief, breaking it isn't going to get us anywhere," said Soma in a wry voice. "Thanks for the heads up," replied Tucker in annoyance. "…sir." Soma walked over to the engineer and crouching down, put his hand on the man's back. "Trip…" Tucker looked up at him. Soma had never called him by his nickname. It had always been commander or chief or even Mr. Tucker. They still hadn't resolved their earlier issues. There just hadn't been any the time, so they both put it on the back burner. Maybe now is as good a time as any to clear the air. "Jonathan…," Tucker started to speak, but stopped. He didn't want to say the wrong thing; that's what caused problems the last time. "I-I'm sorry for what happened back on the ship." Soma looked at Tucker curiously. He wasn't all that surprised at the engineer's apology. His father was a true gentleman…pig headed and having a tendency to let his mouth get him into trouble…but a gentleman none-the-less. "Chief…it's alright." "No," said Tucker shaking his head. "No it isn't. You were right. I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I didn't consider yours." Closing his eyes for a moment, Soma let out a sigh. When he opened them, he looked back at Tucker. "You didn't know." "I coulda asked," countered Tucker. Soma didn't say anything, but just shook his head. He didn't see any point in trying to argue with Tucker about who was right or wrong. He didn't want to argue. "We both should have been more adult about it," said Soma. "Yeah…you're right," he said in agreement. "I was angry. I'm still…I won't pretend I agree with yer reasons, but I'm sorry I called ya a coward. I know yer not. We just look at things differently." "I'm sorry that you lost your sister. She…must have been something else." Soma remembered his father telling him stories, as a child, about Elizabeth or as he always referred to her…'Lizzy'. Soma felt as if he knew his aunt from all those stories, but in reality he had never really had the pleasure of meeting her. Tucker nodded. "She was somethin' else. Full of life…just startin' it really. I guess we never know when we're gonna lose the people who mean the most to us." He looked up at Soma. "Like you and…T'Cel." Soma's chest tightened at her name. He hadn't really had a chance to talk to anyone about her. Aside from a brief moment of consoling from T'Pol, there just hadn't been any time. As always, duty came first. "T'Pol told me how much T'Cel meant to ya," added Tucker. "You and she had…something special." "We might have," he said with a weak smile. "And Chief, we don't think all that differently when it comes to wanting to correct the past. The temptation is there, but there is always a price and sometimes someone else pays that price. All we can do is try to prevent anyone else from losing someone close to them because of this war." "Amen to that," replied the engineer. Extending his hand, he gave Soma a smile. "Friends?" Soma grinned and shook his head as he took the man's hand. "Always, Mr. Tucker." "Good, because I don't want get on your bad side," he said rubbing his shoulder in mock pain. "I'm sorry about," said Soma credulously. "S'ok…I asked for it," replied Tucker putting his hands up in surrender. "Besides, I shoulda known better than ta tangle with a Vulcan. Hell, I'm just waitin' for the day T'Pol gets tired of arguin' and body slams me into the deck." Soma chuckled at the image that popped into his head of his mother picking his father up and throwing him to the floor. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I don't think T'Pol minds arguing with you." "Yeah, I guess," smiled Tucker. "That Vulcan's becoming an open book to me." "Hmmm…so will it be formal or just a simple ceremony?" "Don't you start with me," said Tucker pointing his finger at the Vulcan. "I get enough of that from Malcolm…not to mention half the ship thinks somethin's goin' on. It's just nuero-pressure…ok." "Absolutely," agreed Soma. "If that's what you want to call it…go right ahead." Tucker rolled his eyes and was about to say something to Soma when he noticed the transporter beacons lite up. Someone was beaming down. Noticing the engineer's attention had been diverted from their conversation, Soma turned to see what had piqued Tucker's curiosity. Watching the area between the three beacons, he saw the materialization process as a form began to coalesce. It was clearly a person; that much was certain. As the transporter cycle neared its completion, the figure took on a definite shape and appearance. Before the figure finished materializing, both Tucker and Soma were up and heading for him. "Captain?" said Tucker in surprise. "Sir what are you doin' beaming down here." "Yes," said Soma in agreement. "I thought we agreed that only essential personnel would risk transport." Archer was about to say something when he heard his name exclaimed in obvious shock. "Captain Archer?" this time it was T'Pol. She had been working in an adjacent cavern with Lieutenant Hess, on the power source for the Preserver transporter. Needing to speak with Tucker and Soma, she made her way to the main cave she and was more than a little concerned to see Captain Archer. Archer rolled his eyes as she approached. He now had three mother hen's clucking at him at once. "Captain, you should not…" "I already heard it from the pit boss," said Archer pointing to Tucker. "I'm here so it's moot point. Now…I'd like report. I believe I'm still the captain." Tucker, T'Pol and Soma each looked at one another. They knew arguing with Archer was a lost cause and in truth he was right…he was already here and there was no point in protesting after the fact. "Well, the situation hasn't changed much in the last three hours," said Tucker. "We've tried half a dozen configurations and the only one we get any response outta fizzles out after only a few seconds. " "I believe Lieutenant Hess and I have found the cause," said T'Pol. "Well why didn't ya tell us," said Tucker excitedly. "I believe that is the reason I came over here, Commander." Trip just rolled his eyes, while Soma held in a chuckle. "What did you find?" asked Archer. "The energy cells the Preserver's used power the device are damaged," explained T'Pol. "But we checked them," said Soma with a surprised expression. He was quite certain they had gone over the intact four power cells they had found and found no trace of structural damage. "Yes, however, there are tiny micro-fractures at the molecular level in three of the four cells," she explained. "Even a detailed scan would not have detected them. However, given our inability to find reason for the device's inability to maintain power, logic suggested a more detailed examination of the power source." Soma smiled and nodded his head towards her. "That's why she's a science officer." "Indeed," replied T'Pol, arching her brow. "Can we fix them?" asked Archer. "Unfortunately, no." said T'Pol. "We do not have the technology to effect repairs at the level required." "What about a suitable power replacement," suggested Soma. "Nope," replied Tucker. "Whatever those things are they got a type of energy runnin' through em we can't even begin ta match. Besides, I doubt the whole ship could generate the kind of energy we need ta power this thing." "So we're back to square one," said Archer. "Not necessarily, sir," said Soma. Turning to T'Pol he addressed the science officer. "T'Pol you said three of the four cells were damaged. What about the fourth?" "I can detect no structural damage," she replied. "Even on the molecular level. It may be that it is this single cell, which is feeding power to the unit. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be enough to maintain its operation for more than a few seconds." "Where is the undamaged one in relation to the other cells?" asked Tucker. "It is the third in the cycle." "So maybe…if we bi-pass it to the main lead we can tap directly into it," suggest Tucker. T'Pol's brow went up in a curious expression. "If the damaged cells are impeding the undamaged one then theoretically removing them may resolve the problem." "How long to test that idea?" asked Archer. "Couple of minutes," said Tucker "We just need to switch the connectors." "Do it," said Archer. "Jonathan, you and T'Pol standby to activate the device." Trip Tucker started for the adjacent cave T'Pol had come from. "Stand by, I'll give you the signal when I'm ready." "Do you think this is actually going to work?" asked Archer skeptically. "It is theoretically sound, captain," replied T'Pol. "And Commander Tucker has a …reputation with machines." "Let's hope he lives up to it," said Soma. "Don't worry, Trip's the best engineer in Starfleet," said Archer reassuringly. "It's not him I'm worried about, Jon," replied Soma. "It's this second hand junk that I'm concerned about. We have no idea how long it's been sitting here." "Well, we'll just have to…" Archer stopped when he heard his communicator chirp. Pulling it out, he flipped it open. "Go." "We're all set here, cap'n," said Tucker. "Whenever you're ready." "Standby," said Archer, looking over at T'Pol. "Would you care to do the honors?" T'Pol raised her brow and turned towards the control panel. Touching the panel, she spoke. "Initiating start up sequence." As soon as her fingers touched the panel, a low hum emanated from the device. Almost instantly it was followed by several panel displays flickering to life. Waiting a moment to see if the power held, T'Pol let her hands hover over the panel. When she was satisfied that it would not power down, she continued the start up sequence activating the remaining display panels. Turning back to Archer and Soma, she addressed the two officers. "It would appear the device is functional." "Trip?" said Archer into his communicator. "I heard cap'n," replied Tucker. "Get back here on the double," said the captain and then flipped his communicator shut. "Looks like we're still in the game," said Soma. "Looks that way," nodded the captain. Turning he heard the footfalls of Trip Tucker running across the cavern. He waited for Tucker arrived before he asked his next question. "How long before the three of us can use it?" asked the captain. "The three of us?" said Soma. "Captain, you cannot possibly…" Archer raised his hands, cutting both Vulcan's off. "I've already made up my mind," he said looking at T'Pol. "You, Soma and I will use it to travel to Vulcan." "Captain," said Soma, "your safety aside…you don't look like a Vulcan in some very important respects. Not to mention that you don't speak Vulcanian." "I won't have to," smiled Archer. "And just why not," chimed in Tucker in an attempt to reinforce the protest. "Because Lieutenant Reed made a startling discovery a few hours ago," explained Archer. "It seems there was a third passenger aboard that shuttle." "Sensor's did not detect a third life form," T'Pol quickly countered. "I'm not surprised," nodded Archer. "He was dead." "Dead? Tucker exclaimed. "Who was he? Another Vulcan." "No, actually he was a Bolian," replied Archer. T'Pol looked at Archer curiously. The captain smiled back. For once he had the one up on her. "Vulcans haven't made contact with Bolians yet," explained Archer. "At least not in our timeline. I recognized the dead man because I met one of his species aboard Captain Soma's Enterprise." "I see," said T'Pol. She clearly recognized that the captain was taking pleasure in having information that she did not. "So how does a dead Bolian help us, Cap'n?" Archer looked over at the engineer. "Because that dead Bolian was a slave." "What?" said Soma looking at Archer in shock. "He had what we believed was just a tattoo on the side of his neck. Hoshi thought it might be something more important. She crosschecked it with similar images in the shuttle's database. She found a similar match. In fact she found a number of similar matches," explained the captain. "It would seem that among their various ventures in this timeline, these Vulcans are engaged in a very lucrative slave trade. From what Hoshi has been able to decipher from their database…that shuttle was hunting escaped slaves." T'Pol and Soma looked at one another. They both had the same muted expression on their face. It wasn't a look of stoic non-emotionalism. It wasn't even shock. They had gotten past that. No, the look was one of shame. Hidden and private, it was the shame a person felt when they regretted being associated with a group of like persons. Soma turned from T'Pol and looked at Archer. "So you intend to masquerade as our slave?" "That's right," replied Archer shaking his head. "I've already got Hoshi researching the database. Phlox will duplicate one of the 'tattoos' the Bolian was wearing. I should fit in just fine." "Captain…" she wanted to protest further. This was not the first time her captain had insisted on placing himself in undue danger. She knew it was a wasted effort, but she felt compelled to try and persuade him not to go. "T'Pol, I've made up my mind," he said firmly and looked back at Tucker. "When can you have the transporter ready?" Tucker looked at Archer for a moment as he considered the question. "Well, if Captain Soma deciphered the instruments correctly…a few hours to familiarize…a couple more to test it out…we should be good in another eight hours. Assuming nothing else goes wrong." "Alright," said Archer. "I hate to put you through the ringer Trip, but I'd like you to handle it. Are you up to it?" "Don't worry cap'n. Just send me down a pot of coffee and I'll be good to go." Archer smiled. "You got it." Looking over at T'Pol and Soma he gave them a separate set of instructions. "I want the two of you to head back to the ship. Get some sleep. I want you both rested and alert…and don't give me anything about Vulcan stamina. That's an order." "What about you, captain?" asked Soma. "I'm going to lend Trip a hand and then I'll head back to the ship and catch a few more hours of sleep," replied the captain. Pulling out his communicator, he flipped the device open. "Archer to Enterprise." "Ensign Bryce here, sir," replied a masculine voice. Bryce was the assistant communications officer, a competent specialist, but no Hoshi Sato. "Ensign, patch me through to Ensign Sato," ordered the captain. "Aye, sir." Several seconds past and then the familiar voice of Hoshi Sato could be heard on the communicator. "Captain." "Hoshi, how are you coming along with the translations? "Steady sir," she replied. "A lot of it is heavily encrypted." "Do what you can," said the captain. "We need whatever you've got by 0600 tomorrow." "Yes sir, I'll work on getting you some basic information so you can get by. I did come across several images with people in various clothing so we shouldn't have too much of a problem outfitting you." "Good work, Hoshi and keep at it." "Yes sir." "Archer out" he said and closed the communicator, slipping it back into his sleeve pocket. "Now, you two get going," said Archer as he looked at Soma and T'Pol. "Come on Trip, let's see you and your team can't work a few more miracles." T'Pol and Soma watched as Archer and Tucker walked off together. The two Vulcans stood quietly until both men were well out of site. Turning to T'Pol, Soma looked down at her and frowned. "I say we nerve pinch him and leave him behind." T'Pol glanced up at Soma and rolled her eyes in exasperation. If it were only that easy, she thought. TBC… -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! 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Wed Apr 07 23:41:02 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n1.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.64]) by penguin (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bbqoF77V3NZFl40 for ; Wed, 7 Apr 2004 20:40:08 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13359-1081395602-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah oo.com Received: from [66.218.67.199] by n8.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 08 Apr 2004 03:40:53 -0000 X-Sender: stephen@trekiverse.org X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 3308 invoked from network); 8 Apr 2004 03:40:51 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.167) by m6.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 8 Apr 2004 03:40:51 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO pintail.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.122) by mta6.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 8 Apr 2004 03:40:51 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-022dcwashp0481.dialsprint.net ([63.191.161.227]) by pintail.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1BBQPH-0007FX-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Wed, 07 Apr 2004 20:40:48 -0700 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.122 X-eGroups-From: Stephen From: Stephen X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 23:40:11 -0400 Subject: [ASC] ENT Enemy of the State Chpt 16/? (A, T, Tu, H, R, P, S, Soma) Action, Romance, Adventu re PG13 Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 02:14:50 -0400 In: alt.startrek.creative From: Quills Title: "Enemy of the State" 16 Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, "Carpenter Street", but before the episode "Harbinger". ***WARNING: this chapter contains HEAVY SPOILERS for the episode 'Damage'. You do not have to read this chapter to follow the story. It is a 'bottle' chapter that you can come back and read after 'Damage' airs. This is just a friendly warning to readers who don't want to know T'Pol's secret.*** Chapter 16 Soma pushed the door aside. He had already searched four other storage lockers and still hadn't found what he was looking for. "I don't understand," he said, a tinge of frustration creeping into his voice. "I spent half my childhood crawling all over this ship. You'd think I'd remember where they keep things." Shaking his head, he let out an audible sigh. "Maybe I'm getting Bendi Syndrome." Closing the locker door, Soma looked over to his right. A large cargo door was at the end of the dimly lit corridor. Deciding that the storage lockers were a dead-end, he started for the cargo hold, approaching the door slowly. For reasons he couldn't explain, Soma had a feeling of dread as he neared the door. It was almost as if he sensed that danger lurked behind it. The feeling caused memories to surface. He recalled fears he had as a child when he would play in the empty access crawlspaces. The ship's open ducts and echoing chambers created noises to freeze any little boy's heart. Shaking himself, he chided himself for allowing his mind to wander. Studying the large framed portal, he noticed several deep grooves near its base. Following them up, he could see they matched the frame along the portal. Newly installed? he mused. Examining the bolts in the frame more closely, gave him further evidence for his conjecture. They were shiny, like they had been recently fabricated. Someone reconfigured this cargo bay with a reinforced door…Why? His curiosity piqued, Soma reached out to touch the access panel. His hand made contact with the smooth manual access panel. Pushing it in, he rapped his hand around the release trigger. As he flexed his arm and started to pull the access lever he heard a piteous cry from behind. "Jonathan!" Turning sharply, he looked to see who had screamed his name. In the dim light of the narrow corridor, he could see a small figure in the shadows. As it moved he started, balling his hands in fists as old childhood fears crept back into his subconscious. Before he could react, the figure stepped into the light. "Mother?" he said, and almost immediately regretted saying it. He should not have called her that, not when he wasn't sure if she was alone or not. Soma couldn't help it though. She had startled him. "Are you alone?" he asked. "Yes," she answered. He sighed in relief. His unintended outburst had not fallen on any other ears. "You scared the hell out of me!" he said shaking his head. "I apologize," she said softly. "But you were about to enter that room." She pointed to the cargo hold and he noticed an apprehensive look on her face. Soma glanced over his shoulder curiously. "What's in there?" "That is where we are storing the Trellium D which we have acquired," she answered, a slight tremor in her voice. Soma's eyes widened and he looked back at the cargo bay door. "Good lord!" "If you had opened that door, you would have been exposed." He shook his head somberly, "Thanks for the warning." He had forgotten all about the Trellium D. He recalled reading the reports on it. A substance that proved effective in protecting ships from the Expanse's anomalies, but also proved to be lethal to Vulcans. The Enterprise had encountered the Vulcan starship, Selaya, while traveling through the Expanse. What they found was frightening. The entire crew of the Selaya had been reduced to homicidal maniacs after lining their ship with Trellium D. It was the reason Captain Archer chose not to use the material to line the Enterprise. It would have driven his mother to the same fate. T'Pol cocked her head as she gave Soma a questioning look. "What are you doing down here?" Soma blew out a sigh as he looked at the row of storage lockers. "I was trying to find your old Vulcan portable scanner," he explained. "The one you brought with you when you first came aboard Enterprise." Her expression grew more curious. "Why would you want that?" "It may come in handy while we're on Vulcan," he explained. "The software architecture might be more compatible than Starfleet ones. I thought I'd bring it along in case we have to interface with any database systems." Her brow arched in acknowledgment. "Logical." "I was taught by the best," he said, smiling at her. She eyed him briefly and then spoke. "However, you will not find it here." "No?" he said, making no attempt to hide his surprise. "It is in my quarters." "Really? I could have sworn…" he shook his head. "I guess old age is catching up with me. I remember it being down here." "Given the fact that you come from another time period, it's reasonable to assume that your memories are accurate for it. Perhaps it will be moved down hear at some point." "Well, I was just a little kid then." T'Pol was uncertain if she should ask him about his past…and her future. Knowing who he was to her proved difficult enough at times, but her interest had been piqued. "Why would you have an interest in my scanner when you were a child?" He gave her bashful smile. "I…uh…I used to sneak down here and play with it," he said looking away. "I'd pretend I was a Vulcan scientist studying humans…in their natural environment…like you." He glanced back up at her. Regardless of his age and his rank, she still had the affect over him that all mothers have over their children. He was surprised to see a faint smile on her lips. Ever since she had discovered that he was her son, she had found herself strangely envious of how much Soma was like his father…and how little like his mother. She wondered if Commander Tucker had a stronger bond with their son, which explained the overt influence on his development. But when she heard Soma's explanation about her scanner, an emotion came to the surface. It was strong and distinct. She recognized it immediately…pride. T'Pol straightened and her smile melted into her stoic masque of non-emotion. "If you wish, I will bring it with me tomorrow." Soma smiled. "I'd like that very much." She remained quiet for several long moments. She seemed as if there was something she wanted to say. Soma waited, but when nothing seemed to be forth coming, he decided to change the conversation. "So, what are you doing…" "I should retire," she said cutting him off abruptly. "We have an early day tomorrow and I would like to…meditate before retiring." Soma shook his head. "I'm gonna clean up down here. I'll see you in the morning." "Good night," she said nodding. "Nite." Soma watched T'Pol walk towards the exit. She stopped and turned back, looking at him. Although, for a moment, he swore she was looking past him. Turning back, she exited the corridor. Soma looked around. There were several crates he needed to move back into place, before he headed back to his quarters. Bending over, he pushed one of the poly-alloy containers against the wall. It weighed in excess of four hundred pounds and would normally require a loader to move it. However, it proved little effort for Soma's Vulcan strength. As he bent down to move another container, a small metallic object caught his attention. It was lying on the floor, several feet away, where T'Pol had been standing. Standing, he walked over and picked the tiny object up. Bringing it up to his face, he examined it closely. It was an ampoule, very similar to the ones Doctor Phlox used in sickbay. How did this get down here, he mused. He didn't recall seeing any medical equipment in any of the storage lockers. Turning, he looked at the cargo door and suddenly a disturbing thought occurred to him. When he was about to open the door, he heard his mother call out to him. It was quite clear and distinct. But he also remembered hearing something else, something less distinct; a tiny pinging sound…like the sound of a small piece of metal hitting the deck plating. Looking down at the tiny ampoule, he closed his fist around it as he squeezed tightly. He would have to be certain. But if what he feared were true…he wasn't sure what he would do about it. ________________________________________________________________________ Soma stood outside her quarters, contemplating what he would say. Anger, frustration and fear…especially fear, threatened to overwhelm him. He had hoped he was wrong, but knew the medical scanner couldn't lie. He was just grateful that Phlox wasn't in sickbay to ask him any questions. This was going to be hard enough as it was. T'Pol heard the door chime. Rising from her bed, she pulled her robe tightly to her body as she walked to the door. Tapping the control panel, she signaled the door to open and was greeted by the unexpected face of her son. "Jonathan?" a hint of alarm in her surprised expression. "Is something wrong?" Soma smiled weakly at her. "May I come in?" "Of course," she said stepping aside. Soma entered the room, glancing around as he continued to struggle with his duty. Looking towards the wall, he could see her meditation candles. They looked unattended as if they had seen too many nights of neglect. Apparently she didn't return to her quarters and meditate as she intended. Looking up, he saw the IDIC symbol she kept by her meditation tools, a symbol of the unwavering devotion to diversity. T'Pol studied Soma as he stood quietly with his back to her. She sensed his apprehension, but it mirrored her own. She didn't know how she could be certain…but she knew why he was here and it terrified her. "Why?" he said, the soft tone filled with a dire pleading. "I-I do not understand," she replied, trying to feign ignorance. Soma made no attempt to turn. He couldn't look at her. He simply raised his arm, holding his hand out. T'Pol's gaze moved up Soma's arm, across his hand and stopped…at the small ampoule he held in his fingers. "Recognize this?" he asked, a bitter tone now permeated his words. Swallowing hard, she continued to stare at the ampoule. It's silver metallic color glistened in the soft light of the room. She felt a warm sense of urgency form in her body as she fixed her gaze on it. Soma turned slowly, his jaw set in a hard expression. He stared at her with penetrating eyes, daring her to tell him she had never seen the ampoule before. "Why?" he asked for the second time. This time the word was filled with anger. T'Pol hesitated; she wasn't sure what to say to him. "Y-You don't understand," she answered finally. "You're right," he replied turning to face her. "I don't understand. I don't understand how you can do something so foolish…so…illogical!" He stressed that last word for her benefit as well as his own. She looked at him for a brief moment, before turning away. Emotions rose to the surface, threatening to overwhelm her, but she would not give in to them. She was a Vulcan. Logic and reason dictated her actions. Looking back Soma, she swallowed hard as she forced her dry mouth to say what needed to be said. "My reason is logical." "Logical?" he said, the look of disbelief apparent. "It's logical for you to expose yourself to a toxic substance? It's logical for you slowly destroy yourself? Where is the logic in that mother?" She looked down at the ampoule he still held in his hand, fixing her gaze on it as she replied. "I don't want anyone else to die on my behalf." Soma's face tightened into a masque of confusion. "What are you talking about?" Her eyes locked onto his as she tried to mirror the hard expression he held. "When we first discovered that Trellium D could protect Enterprise from the Expanse's anomalies, Captain Archer intended to acquire a sufficient enough amount to line the inside of the ship," she explained, pausing as she took a deep breath. "After we discovered the Selaya and the effects Trellium D had on the Vulcan crew, the captain abandoned his plan to line the ship with the material. I advised him that he should proceed with his original plan; that it was his only logical option and that he should leave me on the next habitable planet we encountered. He refused. He said he wouldn't abandon one of the crew." Soma stared at her as the explanation slowly sunk in. "Your trying to…to build up an immunity to the Trellium?" T'Pol took a deep breath, holding it for a moment. When she finally released it, she sighed, nodding her head gently. He remained silent as he stared at her. She watched his eyes. They were a piercing grayish blue color that stood out in stark contrast to his olive skin. Their color made his stare even more acutely felt. "Please speak to me." Soma shook his head. "What do you want me to say?" "Say that you understand," she replied. "That you will not interfere." Soma stiffened as a rush of anger threatened to overtake his already frayed control. "You're asking me to lie to Captain Archer?" "Not a lie," she corrected. "An omission." He turned away once again. He couldn't…he wouldn't look at her. "If the captain knew what you were doing, he'd relieve you of duty and confine you sickbay. And quite frankly I agree. I cannot allow your…experiment… to jeopardize this mission. I have a duty..." "So do I!" she said angrily. Soma turned back, a shocked look on his face. He had never heard her yell like that. T'Pol approached him, stopping only when she was inches away. "I will not be the cause of anymore deaths aboard this ship," she said sternly. "If I can build an immunity to the Trellium then Captain Archer can use it to protect the ship. We do not know how long we will have to remain in the Expanse. You said yourself, that once this mission is complete, Enterprise will have to continue on its search for the Xindi weapon." "But you don't know if you can build an immunity to it," said Soma. "Do you know for certain that I cannot?" she countered. "It's never been tested," he said in exasperation, shaking his head. "When Enterprise returned from the Expanse, Captain Archer turned over all the information collected on Trellium to the Vulcan Science Directorate. They deemed it toxic and the tests they could perform were inconclusive do to a lack in test subjects." "Then you do not know if I will be successful or not," she said flatly. "I must try…Jonathan…I have seen too many people injured or killed because of me. Even a Vulcan cannot completely banish the emotions those losses bring." Soma bit his lip as he looked at her. She was so beautiful, intelligent and strong. Strength was her greatest trait. Not physical strength, although as a Vulcan she had that in abundance. No, it was strength of character that he admired in her. "You never told me you experimented with it." She looked at him and saw the wounded expression on his face. She knew it all to well. Hadn't she seen it herself as a child every time she looked in the mirror after finding yet another glaring flaw in the perfect image she held of her own father, Ambassador Soval. "I can only conclude that it was something I did not believe you needed to know. Jonathan…I do want you to know that this was not something I did arbitrarily. If there were another way, I would have taken it. You must trust me." He looked at her again. The pained child still there but joined with the adult man. "I'm sorry," he said taking a deep breath. Looking away, he walking past her and headed for the door. She desperately wanted to stop him…to plead with him not to go to Captain Archer with her secret, but she couldn't move. Her body felt completely numb. She just watched as he walked to the door with the evidence of her secret in his hand. Stopping, he looked back at her for a brief moment. She could see the anguish on his face. He would go to Archer and report his findings. She knew what would happen then. The captain would relieve her of duty and in all likelihood confine her to sickbay. As she stood motionless, continuing to watch him, she was suddenly startled as he reached down and gently laid the ampoule on her end table. Not turning to look at her, he spoke. "Report to the transporter room at 0600 hours, Sub-Commander." When he finished, he quietly exited her quarters allowing the door to close behind him. She stood quietly for several moments as she stared at the door. She had gotten what she wanted most…. but it felt hollow. He was her son and she had come to know what kind of man he was, a good man and a man of honor and responsibility. It made the lie she had told him all the more simple to fabricate. She had used his own sense of duty and responsibility to deceive him. She merely had to tell him what she knew his sense of honor would accept and believe. The truth was not as palatable. Though she held the Enterprise and its crew in high regard, the truth was she had no altruistic reasons for using the Trellium. It was desire and nothing more. A desire that she could not contain or control and which held her in a grip that she could not break free of; a desire that had held sway over her since she first felt its addictive, narcotic effects aboard the Selaya. The emotional release it brought her was like nothing she ever experienced. To give that up…it was…it was unthinkable. Walking towards the door, she stopped at the end table. Looking at the ampoule, she took a deep breath and kneeled slowly. Picking up the tiny cylinder, her hand began to tremble as she felt the rush of desire once again…the need for emotional release overwhelming her and a low sob broke from her throat. As she clutched the tiny metallic object in her hand a shame filled tear rolled down her cheek and she suddenly realized…not all emotions were welcome ones. TBC… -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Thu Apr 08 02:36:01 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n22.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.78]) by vulture (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bbt7y6T53NZFl50 for ; Wed, 7 Apr 2004 23:34:40 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13362-1081406079-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah oo.com Received: from [66.218.67.193] by n40.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 12 Apr 2004 03:25:04 -0000 X-Sender: stephen@trekiverse.org X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 69377 invoked from network); 12 Apr 2004 03:25:03 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.172) by m11.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 12 Apr 2004 03:25:03 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO grebe.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.46) by mta4.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 12 Apr 2004 03:25:03 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-028dcwashp0114.dialsprint.net ([65.177.96.114]) by grebe.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1BCs4C-0003TB-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Sun, 11 Apr 2004 20:25:01 -0700 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.46 X-eGroups-From: Stephen From: Stephen X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2004 23:24:18 -0400 Subject: [ASC] ENT: Enemy of the State Chpt 17/? (A, T, Tu, H, R, P, S, Soma) Action, Romance, Advent ure PG13 Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark & Cana Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US da. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/5x3olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 11 Apr 2004 00:28:11 -0400 In: alt.startrek.creative From: Quills Title: "Enemy of the State" 17 Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan . ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, "Carpenter Street", but before the episode "Harbinger". Chapter 17 Trip Tucker stared at the Preserver transporter. The unit produced a low hum that echoed through the cavern walls. Shaking his head, he sighed in frustration. For everything he and his team had accomplished there were limitations that even they had to acknowledge. Tucker had hoped he could find a solution, but there just wasn't any tricks left in the bag. He was about to watch his three closest friends risk their lives and there was nothing more he could do to increase their odds of making it back alive. Hearing the familiar sound of a transporter beam, Tucker turned towards the designated transport staging area. He watched as three light shafts coalesced into the familiar forms of Archer, T'Pol and Soma. Tucker's brow shot up. The three officers had exchanged their uniforms for civilian disguises and he was more than a little surprised. Soma was wearing what resembled a black trench coat. The coat had a high, straight collar that circled the back half of the captain's neck. Underneath, he was wearing a tight fitting light gray wrap banded collar shirt and dark gray slacks that covered short black boots. Trip couldn't help grinning. He looked like he was picking up a date, not going on a dangerous mission. He had to wonder if Soma selected his own disguise. Glancing over at Archer, Tucker was equally surprised at the outfit his captain was wearing. It was a simple dark gray two-piece "suit". The pants were loose fitting and covered a pair of plain black boots. The shirt was a wrap piece that circled around his torso, while the arms were loose fitting, terminating at banded cuffs. He looked every bit the part of a well-groomed servant. And if anyone had any lingering doubts, the clearly visible red tattoo on the right side of the captain's neck erased them all. As Soma and Archer stepped out of the transporter staging area, Tucker immediately noticed T'Pol. Her disguise was definitely a departure from her usual attire. She wore what resembled black tight fitting pants that were tucked into knee high black boots. Her top was a long sleeve jacket piece, with muted silver trim, that ended just above her navel. The upper part of the jacket was zipped down, revealing more cleavage than normal; that and her bare abdomen revealed more of her body than most Enterprise crew were used to seeing. Although he had the dubious distinction of being the only crewman rumored to have seen what no man has seen before, he found the site of her more than a little breathtaking. Archer and Soma walked down the short incline as they approached Tucker. They both noticed his attention was focused directly behind them. Neither of the men had any difficulty figuring out what or rather who had the engineer's rapt attention. Soma was the first to reach Tucker and he gave him smile. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not polite to stare?" Tucker's head snapped towards Soma and Archer. His cheeks turned a bright crimson color as Archer and Soma looked at each other and laughed. Tucker swallowed hard and then cleared his throat; trying to will his embarrassment away before T'Pol reached them. "Well I'm glad you two are in such a good mood," he said taking on a serious tone, "because I'm afraid we've got a problem." Soma looked over at Archer and shook his head. "Condition normal." "What is it Trip?" asked the captain, a concerned look replaced his smile. "It's the power cell," replied Tucker with a sigh. "Of course it is," said Soma shaking his head in agreement. "Let me guess. It won't generate enough energy to complete the transfer." "No…we're pretty sure it'll get ya there," replied Tucker. "We just can't bring ya back." Tucker watched as Soma, T'Pol and Archer looked at each other in surprise. "Not right away," he added. "Explain," said T'Pol Tucker turned and walked towards the Preserver transporter's main console. "Best I can figure," replied Tucker, "the cells work in tandem. They augment each other's power. With three cells damaged, that leaves just one to supply the load. Without the other three cells, the power supply of the operational cell will be depleted exponentially. Once you arrive, your stuck there until the cell cycles through and recharges." Archer stared at the transporter. "And how long will that take?" "If the cycle time is consistent…eleven hours. And we can only keep the corridor open a few minutes. If you're late reaching it, then you'll have to wait another eleven hours." "Great," sighed Soma. Tucker shook his head. "Wait, I've saved the best for last." "There's more?" Soma asked hesitantly. "Since this cell is working on it's own, the power drain is enormous," explained Tucker. "Each time it recharges, its power capacity also degrades exponentially. We'll have three chances to cycle through. That's three times we can open the portal. And the cell will cycle regardless of whether or not we use it." "Then we only have thirsty six hours," said T'Pol. "I'm afraid that's about the size of it," Tucker reluctantly replied. "So let's see if we've got this right," said Archer looking at T'Pol and Soma. "If there isn't enough energy in this thing to get us to Vulcan, we're dead. However, if there is enough energy and we make it to Vulcan, but we're discovered, we're dead. On the other hand if we make it to Vulcan and aren't discovered…but can't complete our mission in less than thirty-six hours…we're dead?" "That's sounds about right," replied Tucker. "Actually, we will merely be stranded," corrected T'Pol. Soma looked down at her. "In my book it's the same thing," he said shaking his head. "I don't know about you but the thought of being stranded on a planet full of blood thirsty Vulcans doesn't exactly instill me with the hope for a long lifespan." T'Pol cocked her brow as she shook her head in agreement. "Ya know, the likelihood of this mission succeeding is slowly proceedin' from dim to dimmer to dimmest," said Tucker. "You wanna tell him or should I?" asked Soma, looking at Archer. "Tell me what?" asked Tucker in concern. "Before we transported down," explained Archer, "Hoshi finished deciphering part of the shuttle's communication log's. It seems the shuttle was sending regular communications every twelve hours, which means they're now five hours overdue." "So in point of fact chief," interjected Soma, "we've skipped 'dim' and 'dimmer' and have already arrived at 'dimmest'." "So what are ya gonna do, sir?" asked the engineer as he looked at Archer. "Go ahead with mission," replied Archer. "But Capn'-" "Commander," said Archer as he turned sharply to face the engineer. "Our three lives are small price to pay for the success of this mission. We have to try, Trip." "Yes, sir," he replied weakly. He knew Archer was right, but it didn't make it any easier. "Trip, you're in command, " said Archer placing his hands on the man's shoulders. "I'm counting on you to do whatever it takes to protect the ship. Enterprise is Earth and Vulcan's only hope. If a ship comes looking for that shuttle, and you know you're outgunned, don't try to fight. Break orbit and get the hell out of here. Find another way to get to the answers we need." "Aye, capn'." Archer gave him a smile and nodded. "We'll synchronize our watches once we reach Vulcan. Open the portal every eleven hours. Keep it open as long as you can. We'll try to make one of them." T'Pol pulled out a small palm held device and checked the setting. Tucker looked down at the tiny instrument, his curiosity aroused. "What's that?" T'Pol looked up. "A disruptor weapon," she replied. "Lieutenant Reed took two of them off of the Vulcan soldiers and a third from a fairly well stocked weapons locker aboard the shuttle." Tucker noticed the disdain in her voice. She had told him that one of the reasons she left Vulcan Intelligence was because it placed her in a position where she might have to employ lethal force. Something she never found easy to reconcile. "They're more compact than Starfleet phase pistols," added Archer rolling his sleeve up to reveal a similar palm held weapon strapped to his forearm, "so they're easier to conceal." Rolling his sleeve back down Archer looked up at Trip. "We'll take our own communicator's. We'll just have to use them sparingly. It seems in this time line, Vulcans are more than a little paranoid. They monitor all the communication bands." "What about a scanner?" asked the engineer. "Right here," said Soma pulling a small brown hand unit from his coat. "That's not Starfleet issue," frowned the engineer. "You get that off the shuttle." "It's T'Pol's," replied Soma. "She brought it with her when she first came aboard Enterprise. I thought it might come in handy since its database is more likely to be closer to the ones used by these Vulcans than a Starfleet scanner." "So we're ready?" asked Archer. "Ready, captain," replied Soma. "Sir," responded T'Pol. "Then let's do it," said the captain as he approached the portal. "Commander, start the sequence." Tucker took up his position at the main console. Flipping his communicator open he signaled his team to begin the energy cycle. "I need full power to open the portal folks," said Tucker. "This is not a test…we're doin the real deal." A response came over the communicator. "Commencing power transfer, commander," replied a female voice. "I see it," replied Tucker glancing at the power level display. "You're toppin' it to fast; cut back on the flow." After a moment, the voice responded again. "No good sir. It's all or nothing." "Dammitt, the test run didn't have this problem." "What's the matter," called Archer. "The power relay is commin' in too fast," said Tucker. "I'm tryin to compensate…hold on." Moving his hands across the alien display, Tucker adjusted what he hoped would compensate the power regulation. For all he knew, he might blow the whole system. Suddenly, a high-pitched screech reverberated through the cavern. "Trip!" shouted Archer. Tucker didn't respond, he frantically continued adjusting the controls. Touching what he believed was an auxiliary control to an emergency power shunt. Almost instantly, the high-pitched screech subsided and the power display leveled off. "I think I got," said Tucker. "You think?" said Soma. Tucker just shrugged. "You folks sure ya still wanna go through with this?" Archer turned, looking at Soma and T'Pol, then back at Tucker. "No, but we'll do it anyway." Tucker nodded and looking down at the display, adjusted the setting. Hoshi and Soma had made some 'cheat ' labels to help the engineer make sense out of the alien language. When he was sure the parameters were properly set, he looked up to see the portal had changed from a white, opaque sheet, to a black void. "It's ready," he said. Archer approached the black void. Turning, he looked at Soma. "I'll go first, then you two follow." Soma nodded as Archer readied himself. "Hey!" shouted Tucker. The three travelers stopped and both Soma and Archer turned back to look at the engineer. Their first thought was that something else had gone wrong. But seeing the look on his face, they knew better. "You three better make it back …or I'll never talk to you again." Archer gave him a slight smile and turning, jumped through the portal. Soma, looked over at Tucker and nodded as he followed Archer into the void. The engineer knew that neither man would acknowledge defeat; that only left T'Pol. Of the three, she was the more sensible. She knew the risks and Tucker was certain she would keep the two captains from doing anything crazy. They'd make it back. He had to believe that. T'Pol hadn't turned back to look at him. Staring at the void, she watched where Archer and Soma had passed through. Moving toward it, she prepared to follow them, then stopped. Turning, she looked at Tucker for a moment before she turned back and entered the black void. Trip Tucker stood motionless as he watched the inky darkness fade until it was once again an opaque and impenetrable barrier. Starring at it, her last words echoed in his mind. Live long and prosper…Charles. TBC… -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Sun Apr 11 23:28:01 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n27.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.83]) by cockatoo (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bcS6z1q73NZFkl2 for ; Sun, 11 Apr 2004 20:27:27 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13377-1081740443-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah oo.com Received: from [66.218.66.156] by n37.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 30 Apr 2004 02:09:53 -0000 X-Sender: stephen@trekiverse.org X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 60586 invoked from network); 30 Apr 2004 02:09:52 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.172) by m16.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 30 Apr 2004 02:09:52 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.50) by mta4.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 30 Apr 2004 02:09:52 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-040dcwashp0276.dialsprint.net ([207.9.249.22]) by avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1BJNTC-0003iT-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Thu, 29 Apr 2004 19:09:43 -0700 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.50 X-eGroups-From: Stephen From: Stephen X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 22:09:30 -0400 Subject: [ASC] NEW ENT Enemy of the State Chpt 18/? (A, T, Tu, H, R, P, S, Soma) Action, Romance, Adv enture PG13 Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark & Cana Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US da. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/5x3olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 15:05:25 -0400 In: alt.startrek.creative From: quills Title: "Enemy of the State" 18 Author: Quills Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com Series: ENT Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story. Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan. ***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, “Carpenter Street”, but before the episode “Harbinger”. Chapter 18 The gentle breeze of the warm night air blew the desert sand across the stone walkways of the garden. The dark reddish purple sky hung overhead. It was late in the hour and few travelers came through the stone filled city courtyards after dark or else they would witness a site seen by few, either Vulcan or any other race. Dry air began to crackle as if charged with electricity. The sound permeates through the small courtyard of stone edifices. After several moments, a low hum joins in the cacophony of electric noise, and a dark opening cuts through the night air. Like a black hole, the opening hangs in the air, a dark emptiness. Unlike those dark celestial voids from which nothing escapes, this black void discharged an object from its inky darkness…a would-be traveler. Archer landed on the sandy ground just beyond the cobblestone walkway. Stumbling momentarily, he felt lightheaded. An effect he attributed to the travel corridor. Moving forward, he felt a hand grab his arm, steadying him. Turning, he saw Soma smiling at him. “You alright, sir?” Archer swallowed, nodding his head. “Just a little lightheaded.” “Yes, I’d say Commander Tucker and his crew didn’t get all the bugs worked out of the system.” A sudden noise caused both men to turn abruptly. Looking behind them, they both relaxed their guard when they saw it was only T’Pol exiting the void. She looked at Archer and Soma, taking a deep breath. “That was…unsettling.” Soma shot her a mischievous grin, which she wisely chose to ignore. “Where the hell are we?” said Archer, rubbing his temple. He could feel the dull throbbing of a headache coming on, another parting gift from the Preserver technology. “Looks like an unoccupied courtyard or park,” said Soma, noticing several smaller stone formations that he took for benches. “It would seem random luck decided to favor us this time.” ”The surroundings do not appear familiar,” said T’Pol as she looked around the courtyard. She noticed the large, stone monoliths scattered throughout the clearing. They looked immensely old. Possibly from some proto-Vulcanian era, when her people practiced such baseless worship as idolatry. Looking past the clearing, T’Pol noticed a small cluster of Yenz trees - palm tree like flora native to Vulcan. They were rather small for Yenz trees, she noted. The native Vulcan tree usually grew much taller in a thriving natural environment. But looking beyond the trees, T’Pol saw something quite un-natural to Vulcan’s skyline…buildings…tall buttresses of metal reaching up to the night sky. “Agreed,” said Soma, looking past his mother at the tall constructs. “Whatever balance Vulcan had between high technology and primitivism is absent, if these sky scrappers are any indication.” “See what you can pick up on your scanner,” said Archer, looking around the small clearing. He had never been to Vulcan. The thought of seeing it for the first time, like this, caused a feeling of profound regret in the captain. For all his negative feelings towards them, Archer had a great deal of respect for such an old culture. “Heavy industrialization,” said Soma, studying the scanner display. “Urban development stretches out nearly fifty kilometers in every direction.” “That’s a lot of area to cover,” said Archer. “See if you can tap into any computer nets or information databases.” Soma tapped several keys on the palm-sized unit. Frowning, he tapped several more, which caused his frown to deepen. “Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “It may simply be that the device does not ‘speak the language’,” suggested T’Pol. “Then we have to move to a more populated area,” said Archer. Soma looked at Archer. “Do you think that’s wise, captain?” “We need to situate ourselves. The best place to find information would be areas frequented by people.” Soma glanced at T’Pol. “He’d make a good Vulcan.” T’Pol merely responded with an arched brow. She knew better than to add ammunition to Jonathan’s already ample arsenal of wit. “Maybe in the next life,” quipped Archer “One more thing, let’s drop the rank. We don’t need to attract any more attention to ourselves than normal. We’ll just go by our first names, and for obvious reasons, you two handle the talking.” Nodding, Soma pulled out his palm size disruptor, checking the setting. “Fully charged.” Archer gave Soma a mock arched brow. Soma made Lieutenant Reed’s paranoid safety seem lax in comparison. “Stranger’s in a strange land, Jon.” Archer shook his head in agreement, and reaching into his sleeve, pulled out his own disruptor. Checking the setting, he noted his unit was also still fully charged. The Preserver’s corridor may have disrupted his stomach, but it didn’t appear to have any ill effects on their equipment. Soma put his disruptor back inside his coat. Glancing at T’Pol, he gave her a sudden quizzical look, when he noticed she was checking her disruptor. “Where in the seven provinces of Sahkar were you keeping that? You barely have enough room between that outfit and your skin for air to fit through.” Archer wasn’t sure what Soma’s cryptic reference was, but “Sahkar” sounded Vulcan, so he assumed it was some provincial phrase equivalent to “where in the world”. But Archer found he was less interested in what Soma had said than in what had captured the man’s attention. He was right. There wasn’t any obvious place for T’Pol to conceal her disruptor. Where had she been hiding the thing? T’Pol looking at Soma, she was still holding the disruptor weapon in her hand. “That is none of your concern,” she replied tersely. Soma made a frowning expression as he glared at her. “I’m not a little boy anymore mother.” T’Pol’s brows went up and she quickly looked from her son to the captain. Studying Archer, she was surprised to see a complete absence of shock or bewilderment on the captain’s face. In fact, the look on his face was quite unexpected. He was smiling. “He already knows, mother.” T’Pol turned to Soma for a moment and then back to Archer. The captain was still smiling, but gave her a slight sympathetic nod in acknowledgment. “I see,” replied T’Pol straightening. Looking at Archer, she addressed the captain. “How long have you known?” Archer glanced at Soma. The Vulcan rolled his eyes sympathetically, giving a shrug. “I found out while in command of the Enterprise-C.” Archer thought it best not to divulge that it was Ensign Mayweather’s future self who had relayed the story of Soma’s origin to him. Things were complicated enough. Archer watched as T’Pol studied him. He wondered what she was thinking. Was she embarrassed? Upset? He knew she would never admit to having such a reaction, but he suspected that his knowing about her relationship with Soma, as well as Trip, made her uncomfortable. The fact that he had kept his knowledge a secret wasn’t a matter of privacy as it was secrecy. He wasn’t sure who knew about Soma and it wasn’t his place to reveal it. “I’m sorry… I would have told you I knew, but I wasn’t sure that you knew.” T’Pol considered what Archer said. She trusted her captain. He had proven on numerous occasions that he cared for her well being. His choice not to divulge his knowledge of her son was unnecessary, but was done with the best of intentions. “It’s alright,” she replied. “You didn’t know that I was already aware. You’re effort was unnecessary…but you’re intention is appreciated.” Archer gave her a smile, shaking his head. Turning, he looked at Soma. The Vulcan was grinning like the Cheshire cat. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” “Immensely.” Archer shook his head. “Who else knows?” Soma’s smile disappeared as he considered the question. “Yourself…mother…and Doctor Phlox.” Soma looked at T’Pol for confirmation. She nodded in acknowledgment as Archer glanced between the two Vulcans. “Trip doesn’t know?” “No.” Archer gave Soma a surprised look. His response wasn’t wholly unexpected, but Archer had hoped for more than a one-word reply. Shaking his head, Archer focused on the task-at-hand. If Soma didn’t want to tell his father who he was, then that was his business. Right now, they had a mission to complete and time was not on their side. “Give us a heading,” said Archer. “Nearest populated area.” Soma looked down at his scanner, searching for bio-readings. Turning to his left, he looked towards a stone path between two large stone monoliths. Studying the display for a moment, he nodded his head. “That direction,” he said pointing up the path. “Less than five hundred meters and it opens onto a larger adjoining pathway. There’s a large concentration of bio-readings: Vulcan, Terellian, Klingon as well as several unidentifiable. It might be a street or pavilion of some kind.” Heading up the path, the search team proceeded, passing between several large stone slabs. Glancing at them, Soma was reminded of the ancient stone monoliths of the Kolti desert, in Vulcan’s southern region. Remembering how impressive they looked. His grandfather, Soval, had made a point in educating Soma in the ancient history and lore of his Vulcan heritage. It was something Soma had always shared with the recalcitrant ambassador; an interest in Vulcan’s past. Approaching the end of the path, Soma could hear the sounds of people up ahead. From the volume, he imagined a large number of them. Stopping, he motioned Archer and T’Pol over to him. “Jon, let me continue on. I can see exactly what we can expect.” Archer considered Soma’s suggestion. They were pressed for time, which meant they didn’t have the luxury of playing it safe. On the other hand, they didn’t have any idea where they were or what to expect on this Vulcan. Caution seemed the best option…at least for now. “Alright,” replied the captain, “scout ahead and then come right back. No unnecessary risks. Clear?” “Clear.” Soma turned, moving further up the path. Archer watched as he disappeared into the dark enclosed walkway. Sighing, he glanced at T’Pol. The look of concern was evident. He had become fairly adept at reading her expressions. The one she currently wore, was definitely concern. He’d seen it displayed for him on more than a few occasions. Particularly when she believed he was endangering himself unnecessarily. “He’ll be alright,” said the captain. T’Pol turned and looked at him, but said nothing. There wasn’t anything to say. They were in a dangerous line of work. They each understood what that entailed. The fact that Soma was her son did not change that fact. He was an exemplary starship commander and had proven his ability to deal with unexpected and challenging circumstances. Yes, he will be all right, she reminded herself. T’Pol looked at Archer, and was about to speak when they heard Soma call out. Looking up the path, they saw him standing at the mouth of the archway. He waved his hand, motioning them to come up. Moving quickly, they headed up the stone path stopping once they reached Soma. “What did you find?” asked the captain. “It’s some kind of street,” replied Soma. “There are a number people traveling in either direction as well as a large number of ground transports.” Archer’s brow furrowed. “Military?” “I don’t believe so. They look more like personal, civilian transports.” Soma glanced down the corridor. “There seems to be a number of proprietary establishments.” “They may be able to supply the information we need,” suggested T’Pol. “If we approach them in an indirect manner, they may simply conclude that we are travelers.” “Alright,” said Archer shaking his head. “We’ll join the crowd…try to blend in.” Pointing through the corridor, he motioned Soma to take the lead; nodding, Soma started walking through the corridor, followed by T’Pol, with Archer bringing up the rear. Approaching the opening at the opposite end of the corridor, Soma halted. Turning, he checked to make sure his companions were ready. A silent nod from each gave him his answer and they proceeded onto the busy walkway. The first thing Archer noticed was how busy the walkways and street was. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was in New York’s, Times Square or San Fransisco’s, Chinatown; anyplace but Vulcan. The bright lighting panels lit up the walkways, which teamed with people from dozens of worlds. “This appears to be a well traveled area,” said T’Pol. “Let’s just keep moving,” replied the captain. They continued up the street, moving with the flow of traffic. Looking about, Archer noticed a number of non-Vulcan species; most of which he had never seen before. They all seemed to be in a hurry, but judging from their clothing, Archer concluded they were part of an upper class or those who did business with an elite class in a stratified society. He also noticed the manner and dress of many of his fellow travelers. Many were in eveningwear, while others were barely wearing anything at all. Maybe Vulcan and humans aren’t so different after all,” he thought. ”Similar circumstances breeds similar responses. Feeling a hand touch his arm, Archer turned towards T’Pol. She nodded her head in the direction she wished him to direct his attention too. “Jon…I believe that is an information panel. Archer looked at the illuminated display screen mounted into a gray wall unit. The appearance was very utilitarian, and in stark contrast to the brighter and more material looking shops and dwellings surrounding it. “Let’s have a look.” Carefully, they wandered over to the display board. There was already a Klingon male and what T’Pol assumed was what Commander Tucker once referred to as a…lady of the evening. She was dressed in a loose fitting, opaque purple dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Trying to appear as casual as possible, T’Pol glanced at the screen. She noticed several windows on the display, each one in a different language. Though she wasn’t as well versed in languages as Ensign Sato, she could make out some of the Klingon script she saw scrolling across the screen. It was an information portal. Nodding at Archer and Soma, she signaled them to remain close while she waited to access the machine. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see a grided map displayed on the screen. That will be useful, she thought. Once the Klingon and his companion had finished, T’Pol moved to the console. Studying the display configuration, she pressed what she believed was the interface control. The unit instantly responded with several rows of text in varying languages. She immediately noticed at the top of the list was Vulcan…and just below it was Xindi. A reptile dialect if she wasn’t mistaken. Tapping the control, she selected the Vulcan language, and proceeded to the next screen. Archer and Soma watched T’Pol from several feet away. They both kept scanned the street and walkways for any sign of trouble. Although they were confident that their presence was unknown, how long that would remain was another question. “Jon, look,” said Soma pointing to travel car that had stop along the walkway. Archer noticed the metallic vehicle. It didn’t seem as stylized as the others they had seen. Watching the two Vulcan males that had exited the vehicle, the captain saw one of them hand a silver strip to the driver. “It’s some kind of public transport,” said Archer. “Maybe a taxi cab?” “And they’re using some form of hard currency.” T’Pol approached them, and noticed they were observing something or someone. “You’ve seen something?” “They use money,” said Soma. “We just saw someone paying another man with a silver strip.” T’Pol raised her brow. “Yes, it is one of several hard currencies accepted,” she explained. “It is referred to as pressed latinum, and comes in several rare and exotic metals of varying worth.” “What else did you find out?” asked Archer. “We are in the city of ShirKahr.” Archer looked at her questioningly. She said the name as if he should recognize it, but it didn’t appear to have any meaning to him. “In our time period, it is a major center for learning,” she explained “I’d say a few things have been added to the curriculum,” said Soma as he eyed two Vulcan females in tight fitting outfits walk by. They gave him a mischievous grin as they walked by. Shaking his head, he looked back at T’Pol. “What else did you get?” “We are in the Han district. The information portal said it was a place of questionable entertainment and activities.” “Red light district,” said Archer. This time T’Pol gave him a questioning look. Archer shook his head. “Consult linguistics when we get back to the ship.” Looking towards the street, Archer saw something that caught his attention. Another transport vehicle pulled up to the walkway several meters in front of them. The vehicle was not the simple design they had seen a few minutes earlier. This one was stylized and quite ornate. Watched for the occupant to exit, he was surprised to see a rather heavy-set middle-aged Vulcan male. Most of the Vulcans he had ever met were tall and rather wiry. He had only met one that qualified as overweight. It was in stark contrast to the Vulcan notion of logic and discipline, but Archer reminded himself that those values didn’t apply. Watching the Vulcan, Archer immediately noticed the small brown bag the man pulled from his coat. It was no larger than the palm of his hand, but he could see it was full…of latinum. Those strips of metal he and Soma had seen the other Vulcan use for currency. Archer leaned close to Soma. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Soma looked in the direction Archer was pointed. He studied the portly Vulcan for a moment before he noticed what was in his hand. Immediately, he knew what the captain was suggesting, “Could be risky,” replied Soma “We don’t want to attract attention to ourselves.” “We’re going to need money.” “Alright,” said Soma, with a nod. “We’ll need a distraction.” “I’ll handle that,” said Archer. “You just follow my lead. T’Pol, stay back…keep us covered in case anything goes wrong.” Nodding, T’Pol moved her hand so both Archer and Soma could see that she was holding her disruptor. Breaking off from their group, Archer moved towards the Vulcan patron. He could see the man was moving towards him, walking cane in hand. He would have to be careful. He remembered that Vulcans were much stronger than humans, and that cane could do some serious damage if the Vulcan was of the mind to use it. Maneuvering himself, he made sure he would move right past the Vulcan. As the man approached, Archer turned suddenly, looking at Soma. “I’m sorry master,” he shouted repeatedly in a whining, submissive tone, attracting attention from passers bye. Soma looked at Archer and rolled his eyes. Oh brother, pad you’re part Jon. Archer continued his rant of apologies as he backed away from Soma, bowing as he did so. Glancing behind him, he made sure he was moving right towards his mark. Seeing the man attempt to move around him, Archer suddenly whirled around, colliding with the portly Vulcan, sending them both careening to the ground. The Vulcan let out a cry as Archer landed on top of him. Several people stopped to point and several even laughed at the spectacle, but no one bothered to interrupt it. Quickly, Soma ran to Archer’s side. Grabbing the captain by the collar, he pulled him of the Vulcan in a violent fashion, enough to convince onlookers, but not enough to hurt Archer. “Insolent dog,” shouted the Vulcan as he tried to get up. Pushing Archer aside, Soma grabbed the man’s arms and hoisted him up. “You-“ said the Vulcan, pointing at Archer. “Please, it was an accident,” said Archer, submissively. The man raised his arm, the heavy walking stick in his hand. Moving towards Archer it was clear he intended to strike the captain what could very well be a fatal blow. Quickly, Soma came between his friend and the angry Vulcan. Grabbing the man’s hand, he forced him to stop. “My apologies sir, I assure you that he will be punished.” “See here-“ “Sir, there is no need for you to deal with him,” said Soma slyly. “After all…a man of your obvious importance shouldn’t have to deal with a common slave…should he?” “Well I-“ Raising his hand in supplication, he gave the man a congenial smile. “I will see to this…animal’s punishment, and I assure you…it will befit his insolence.” The man stared at Archer for a moment. Archer, kept his head bowed and his mouth shut. Looking back at Soma, the Vulcan nodded. “I should hope so. Now…if you’ll kindly step aside, I have very important...business, and I don’t wish to be delayed any further. ” For a moment, Soma glared at the man. He detested elitists, and the man’s smug, superior attitude was dripping with elitist snobbery. But he had a mission, and it didn’t involve teaching uppity Vulcans lessons in proper etiquette. Nodding congenially, he stepped aside. Turning, the Vulcan started walking up the street. Glancing around him, Archer noticed, with the excitement now over, the curious and bemused onlookers went back to their business. Walking up to Soma, Archer noticed he was watching the portly Vulcan, as he continued on his way. “And drop dead on your way, while you’re at it,” he said quietly. Archer stifled a chuckle. “Did you get it?” Soma, kept his eyes on the Vulcan as he touched his hand to the breast of his coat, patting the contents of his inner pocket. As T’Pol approached, Soma glanced over at her. “Well, what did you think mother? Not bad for a couple of amateurs. T’Pol’s brow went up as she shook her head. “You two are both on your way to becoming part of this cities criminal element.” Soma and Archer looked at each. They both recognized the beginning of one of T’Pol’s lectures on the evils of loose morals. Clearing his throat, Archer leaned close as he spoke. “As I recall, you helped me rob a automated money machine when we were in Detroit.” Soma looked at T’Pol in mock shock. “Is that true?” T’Pol looked at Soma briefly before turning away. “Yes…but we only did so out of necessity.” “Way to go mom!” T’Pol turned abruptly, giving Soma a piercing stare. In response, he flashed her a full smile, causing her stare to quickly fade. Making a mental note, T’Pol decided she would have to make a greater effort to not allow her son’s abundance of personality to so easily sway her. She had found it ironic that even she was susceptible to her son’s charming nature; although, she had no doubts as to where he got it. Perhaps it wasn’t so ironic that she was so easily charmed, after all…his father had much the same effect…to her constant dismay. TBC… -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? 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