The Long Sleep [Alternate Enterprise-era]

[Jedi Marso]

Introduction​

This is a story I wrote several years ago which takes place in what I consider a 'prime' Enterprise era timeline. That is to say that I consider the TV show 'Enterprise' to be an offshoot or alternate timeline from TOS due to the events of the movie First Contact. This seems borne out by the episode 'Regeneration,' in which our heroes encounter and defeat the Borg. The fact that the ship is named Enterprise as well as the presence of technology that seems ahead of its time may be attributed to timeline alterations created by Zephram Cochrane, Lily, and others who were exposed to the crew of the Enterprise-E and the Borg.

The first thing you should note reading this story (to avoid confusion) is that the NX-01 isn't the Enterprise, but rather the UES Dauntless. When I originally wrote the story the ship was named Discovery but I've changed it here in light of the fact that the new series' hero-ship is going to bear that name.

The next post will be a timeline that explains what has happened leading up to this story, as well as some of the sources I've used to create this definitively non-canon timeline. However, a few things you'll see (or not see) in this tale include the following:

1. There is no infiltration of Vulcan culture by the Romulans. (This has no bearing on the story)
2. The big rivalry in the neighborhood is between the Tellarites and Andorians, not the Vulcans.
3. First contact with the Klingon Empire has not occurred.
4. Technology levels are "22nd Century" and equipment is far more cumbersome in this era.
5. No Suliban or 'Temporal Cold War.'
6. The Axanar are not a spacefaring species.
7.. No human transporters, and similarly, no dilithium. As per The Final Reflection, both technologies come in the first half of the 23rd century and are immediate technological precursors to the Constitution Class and a whole generation of ships capable of achieving Warp 6 and better.

In the spirit of Trek, I've concocted this tale in part to present the reader with a question of morality and ethics. It will be up to you to decide if the final solution is right or wrong, but hopefully it will make the wheels in your head turn a bit. It's also a tale of a fairly atypical sort of alien encounter.

I'll post it in chunks as I review it one final time. It's been a few years and you tend to catch more errors after you take a break from something, so I'll take this opportunity to give it a final edit as I post it in sections.

Enjoy!

-Marso​

 

[Jedi Marso]

Timeline Prologue​

2045 Unofficial first contact is made between humans and Vulcans when a Vulcan scoutship crashes on Earth. (Strangers from the Sky)

2050 This year marks the first round of world-wide conflicts between the eastern alliance and other Terran powers, recorded as the first phase of WWIII. (Various sources)

2061 Zephram Cochrane's automated test probe breaks the light barrier, heralding the human discovery of Warp Drive. (Federation)

2063-64 Zephram Cochrane makes the first FTL round-trip journey to Alpha Centauri. He returns to Christopher's Landing on Titan, where he is met by his chief financial backer, the mysterious Micah Brack. (Federation)


2065 The Earth ship Amity rescues a disabled Vulcan scoutcraft, marking official first contact between Earth and Vulcan. Historians disagree on whether the Vulcan ship was actually disabled, or whether this was an 'exaggeration' by the Vulcans in order to facilitate the meeting in a controlled environment. (Strangers from the Sky)


2068 Formal diplomatic relations are established between Earth and Vulcan. Shortly after this, Zephram Cochrane shares all of his knowledge and theory on warp drive (then known as ‘superimpellor’ technology) with the Vulcans, who have long had vessels capable of sustaining speeds just under warp 3. Over the next century, warp engine designs see significant improvements in speed and efficiency.


2078 The Optimum Movement achieves the height of its power on Earth, under the leadership of Adrik Thorsen. This constitutes what historians call the second phase of WWIII. War is rekindled on Terra. Vulcan temporarily withdraws its ambassadors from Earth. 37 million Terrans are killed between 2050 and 2078. (Federation)


2079 The post-atomic horror reigns over vast regions of Earth, as experienced by Captain Picard in 2367 under the influence of Q. (Encounter at Farpoint, Federation)

Fortunately, humans have established colonies on Alpha Centauri and several other planets by 2078. Established Earth colonies render vital aid that allows Earth to recover more quickly from these wars than would otherwise have been possible. A large colony vessel departs for Terra Nova, a Class M world in the Eta Cassiopeia Star System. This is the farthest Earth colony established to date. (Enterprise, Federation)


2080-2110 Earth recovers from WWIII and rises from the ashes of the Optimum Movement. Vulcan ambassadors and advisors return to Earth, and the nations of Earth, weary of war and inspired by knowledge of intelligent life in the universe, come together like never before in Human history. The United Earth Government is established, and old national sovereignties are federalized under its governance. (Timeline specific)


2110 The United Earth Space Probe Agency, UESPA, is established as the space-going exploration, colonization, and defensive arm of the United Earth Government. (Timeline specific)


2111 Jonathon Archer is born on Earth. (Enterprise)


2119 Zephram Cochrane files a flight plan from his home on Alpha Centauri to Stapledon Center at Wolf 359, then disappears without a trace. He is 87 years old at the time. On Earth as well as Alpha Centauri, a massive research project is underway to improve the velocities attainable with warp drive. (Federation, Enterprise)


2151 The UESPA Starship Dauntless, NX-01, launches from Earth on a mission of peaceful exploration under the command of Captain Jonathon Archer. This follows years of attempts by skittish Vulcans (who vividly remember WWIII and the Optimum Movement) to discourage mankind from rapid expansion and exploration. Dauntless cruises at warp 4.3, with an emergency speed of warp 4.8. This is the maximum speed attainable until the discovery of the power focus and channeling effects of dilithium, which is still many years away. (timeline specific, The Final Reflection)

The following events are all either derived from Enterprise or are "timeline specific":​

2151-2152 The first year of Dauntless' mission included many ground breaking events: ​

Suspected first contact with the Orion Pirates.
First contact with the Rigellians.
Re-established contact with the lost colony of Terra Nova.
Numerous surveys of Class- M worlds, resulting in several cases of 'trial and error' regarding survey procedures.
Rendering aid and assistance to older ECS 'Boomer' ships plying established routes at low warp.
Communications specialist Hoshi Sato begins preliminary work on a computerized translation device.

2152-2153 The second year of Dauntless’ mission:​

Official first contact with the Tellarites and Andorians.
Transport of ambassadors to Andor and Tellar.
More encounters with suspected Orion Pirates, resulting in armed engagements with no face to face contact.
Dauntless rescues alien astronauts from Valakis, a pre-warp culture. They have journeyed into space seeking a cure for a plague that is decimating their population. Subsequent events have far reaching ramifications on Terra and Denobula.
First contact with the humanoid Tandarans.
Dauntless is present over an Andorian colony when it is mysteriously destroyed in a tremendous blast. Nearby Andorian ships respond, and accuse Earth of being in collusion with Tellar. They fire on Dauntless, forcing her to withdraw. Both sides prepare for war, and Earth Command increases the rate of starship production.

2153-2154 The third year of Dauntless' mission:​

War between Earth and Andor is averted by clever detective work from Captain Archer and his crew, as well as the calming influence of Vulcan diplomats. However, an unknown entity is determined responsible for the massacre, presenting a new mystery.
Dauntless visits Risa, a free tradeworld and pleasure planet.
A long-standing (but isolated) territorial dispute between Vulcan and Andor is defused when the Andorian Shran requests the intervention of Captain Archer for a negotiated settlement. Combined with Archer's work in proving Earth's innocence in the destruction of the Andorian colony, the Vulcan government begins to recognize the worth of human diplomatic and exploration efforts in local space.

2153 UESPA Starships Columbia and Magellan are launched. In addition, smaller UESPA vessels as well as some privately owned interstellar ships are beginning to mount warp 4 engine technology. Interstellar business booms as freebooters race to intercept Boomers with technology upgrades to sell, potentially shaving years off journeys these ships are presently undertaking.

Off-Earth colonization sees a marked increase, and a "second wave" of colonists departs for Terra Nova, now that the planet has been verified as still hospitable. This results in trouble later, only to be defused by Captain Archer's diplomatic skills.

The first confirmed, face-to-face contact with the Orions occurs. Within the next three years, and from that time forward, the interaction will become widespread. Orion activities, which include slave-trading and the exploitation of pre-warp cultures, are seen as extremely problematic by UESPA and the Vulcan government. However, at present, there are not enough resources available to adequately combat the problem. UESPA opens channels to the Andorians and Tellarites, asking for a cooperative effort in dealing with Orion Piracy. Both agree, but these efforts are hindered by their hostility toward one another.

2154-2155 Fourth year of Dauntless’ mission:​

UESPA Starships Valiant, Challenger, and Argo are launched. Valiant is a deep space exploration mission launched toward the 'upper' edge of the galactic disk. She is caught in a wormhole effect following an engineering casualty and hurled to the upper edge of the galaxy. Earth Command loses contact with her shortly after she reports the presence
of energy emissions from a barrier-like wavefront at galaxy's edge. She is not heard from again, and is listed as lost with all hands.

Several UESPA and civil vessels are lost along the boundary of explored space in the direction of the Romulan Star Empire. After several harrowing encounters carried out by Dauntless and Magellan, UESPA becomes aware of the Romulan presence, although no face to face contact takes place.

Captain Archer, now hailed as statesman as well as explorer, begins breaching the subject of a binding alliance between Earth, Andor, Tellar, Vulcan, and their respective colonies.

This story takes place in 2154, the fourth year of Dauntless' mission.​

 

[Jedi Marso]

I​

Captain's Star Log, October 25th, 2154. We're finally getting a break from diplomatic milk runs and Boomer-sitting duty so we can do what we're supposed to be doing out here: exploring. After dropping off Ambassador Collins and his staff on the Andorian homeworld, we've proceeded past Epsilon Indi at warp four for the past six weeks, on almost a direct track formed by drawing a line between Sol and Epsilon Indi. This course runs us almost straight 'downward' with respect to the galactic ecliptic, toward a region of space that no Earth ship has thus far investigated. We're conducting charting operations as we go as per standard procedure, but this task has been rendered fairly mundane thanks to the charts the Andorians have graciously given us. While this is unexplored territory for us, they have ventured out this way before. I wish we could just keep going the same way the crew of the Valiant is headed toward the upper edge of the galaxy, but we're not fitted out for a deep space probe. Besides, between the trouble with the Orions and the mysterious, hostile race that continues to prey on Earth ships, UESPA Command isn't going to let us get too far away. It's a pity- the one thing I've learned for certain in the past four years is that the galaxy is big enough for all. It's a shame that civilizations capable of producing warp-driven starships can't act like it. In the meantime, Dauntless' crew is looking forward to a short respite from recent troubles and some honest to God exploration. Lord knows we deserve it. End entry.

Captain Archer signed the log entry and handed the recorder to his yeoman, who smiled and traded him the stylus for a hot cup of coffee. The bridge was quiet, for a change. On the viewscreen, nearby stars crept forward lazily as Dauntless raced through local space at Warp 4.3, just shy of eighty times the speed of light. They had traveled approximately ten light years beyond Epsilon Indi in the past six weeks, almost as far again from Andoria as that planet was from Earth. Dauntless had been farther than this from Earth on several occasions since her launch, but never in this particular direction. Just knowing that they were in unexplored territory sent a thrill through Jonathon Archer. When their mission had started four years ago his main concern was that it was going to be boring. He almost laughed aloud at the thought, now. In just four short years he had seen wonders and terrors that mankind could have only dreamed of a mere century before. The galaxy was alive- alive beyond their wildest imaginings. He had no doubt that there were wonders waiting for them out this way as well, wanting only to be found.

He glanced sidelong at T'Pol, his Vulcan science officer and liaison. She was engrossed in her work as always, her face an unreadable mask as she alternated her attention between the sensor hood at her station and the displays upon which she was recording, cross referencing, and analyzing the data they were collecting. If there was anything interesting out here, she was the one who was going to find it. T'Pol had been something of an unwanted addition to the crew at first, and the feeling had been mutual. Four years of shared danger and hardship had changed that attitude and forged them all into a team, leaving Archer a changed man in the process.

Before their initial launch he firmly believed that the Vulcans were an impediment to Earth's progress toward the stars. Now more than ever he believed that their best path forward would be together, perhaps even working in concert with the Andorians and Tellarites as well. He’d begun subtly pushing this idea over the past year or two, propelled along by events mostly beyond his control, but now it looked as though these notions of an alliance might be taking root with the diplomats as well. Archer was convinced there would need to be some kind of alliance eventually; now that they were all moving just under Warp 5, they weren't nearly as far apart as they had been even a short decade before. Private sector traffic between each parent civilization and its colonies would increase geometrically at first, then exponentially within the decades and centuries to come. It would be inevitable as more commercial ships were fitted with the faster warp engines, and propulsion technology continued to advance. Despite the naysayers, an old test pilot like Jon Archer didn't believe in the theory of a 'time warp' barrier at warp 4.8, any more than Chuck Yeager had believed in a sonic barrier at Mach One.

The low beep of the sensor alert was audible throughout the bridge, and T'Pol raised an expectant eyebrow as she swiveled around from her console and took a cursory look into the sensor hood. Archer grinned as every set of eyes on the bridge turned toward the science station. "What have you got?" he asked casually.

Her reply was neutral and guarded- over the past few years Archer interpreted that to mean that she wasn't really sure. "A contact at the extreme edge of our sensor range, captain," she reported. "It may be a ship, or it may be a sensor ghost- we are in a region of comparatively high ambient energy. If the reading is not a sensor artifact, then it isn't of natural origin. It is paralleling our course and matching our velocity exactly."

"Position?"

"Off our starboard beam, at the extreme edge of our range."

"Helm, slow to warp 2," Archer ordered.

"Warp 2, aye aye," replied Ensign Petrefski. Archer felt the smooth deceleration in the soles of his boots, while on screen the stars seemed to slow to the point that only the closest few showed any real-time displacement at all. As he often did, he paused a moment to think what it would mean to be stuck out here at this speed. Getting back to Andoria alone would take over a year, and another on top of that to reach the home neighborhood. It was moments of reflection like that which reminded him how far from Earth they actually were- and how alone.

"Sensor contact lost, captain," T'Pol reported.

"When?"

"At the exact moment we altered velocity," she replied. "Logical," she added a moment later. "The contact was holding right on the edge of our detection range. Our speed change took them right off my scope."

"Probably not an echo or a shadow, then," Archer mused.

"I calculate the probability at almost zero," T'Pol replied. "I believe we were being tracked. Possibly an Andorian ship; we are coming from the direction of Epsilon Indi."

Archer sighed. "Possibly, but not necessarily. Let's snoop around a bit," he added with a hint of exasperation. There had been too many of these kinds of encounters already, and too many of them had turned out poorly. If it turned out that this mystery vessel was one of those enigmatic, gull-winged ships that were prone to immediate violence, Earth Command needed to know that they were out in this part of space as well. "Ensign Petrefski, alter course to intercept the last fix we had on the contact. Tie into T'Pol's sensors. Accelerate to warp 4, and stay sharp. Understood?"

"Aye aye, sir," Petrefski replied.

Archer turned to communications. "Ensign Chandaskar, set condition two throughout the ship. Call Lieutenant Hoshi to the bridge."

"Aye aye, captain," replied the East Indian officer at communications. He immediately went on shipwide intercom, and the three-note call of the bosun's whistle echoed loudly throughout every compartment aboard the ship. "Now hear this," he called over shipwide, "set condition two throughout the ship. This is no drill. Repeat, set condition two throughout the ship. All decks report readiness status to the bridge. Lieutenant Hoshi, report to the bridge."

"Acknowledged," Hoshi's voice replied over the intercom a moment later.

The intercom at Archer's station beeped for his attention, and he stabbed the button absently, watching the starfield wheel around on the viewscreen as Dauntless changed course and warped off on her new vector. "Archer here," he replied.

"Hey captain!" came the always-cheerful sounding voice of Trip Tucker. "What's going on, sir? We find something interesting?"

"Something may have found us, Trip," Archer replied, "or it may be nothing. Just taking precautions, that's all. T'Pol may be pulling our legs here with a sensor ghost," he added, throwing a sidelong glance at the science station. T'Pol pointedly ignored the jibe, but he thought he saw the line of her mouth take on a slightly firmer set. Tucker's laugh echoed over the intercom as he acknowledged and signed off, but Archer sensed a hint of underlying tension underneath it. They had already suffered through two encounters with hostile, unknown aliens embarked in ships that seemed to emulate the shape of various preybirds. Both encounters had cost them dearly, and none of them were eager for a third. Especially not when they were twenty light years from home, and far from any available help. UESPA had accelerated the rate of ship construction to the maximum extent possible since the war scare with the Andorians, but as of now there were only a half dozen Dauntless Class starships. Yorktown, Cook, Soryu, and Atlantis were all scheduled to launch the next year, but Archer had no idea where they were going to turn up four more experienced crews to man them. Or at least, he amended to himself, crews with experience in operating more than a dozen or so light years from Earth. In any event even the new ships wouldn't significantly increase human presence beyond the already established Earth colonies, and Terra Nova remained very much on its own. Space was vast on a scale most people had no conception of- less than a dozen Warp 5 starships were nothing when compared to the volume encompassing just Earth Command's immediate sphere of influence. There needed to be more ships, more crews, and a network of stations to support them out in regions such as this so that a damaged vessel wasn't effectively stranded and cut off. Perhaps an alliance with the major starfaring powers they had already established relations with would help with that as well.

In the meantime, Archer had another concern: Dauntless’ crew was handpicked, primarily by himself and Admiral Forrest. UESPA Command had already turned its greedy eyes toward his crew roster several times in the past two years, siphoning away experienced personnel who were needed on the bridges, in the labs, and in the engine rooms of the newer ships. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to hold on to officers like Mayweather, Sato, and Reed. They were promoting them fast these days: Mayweather and Sato were already full lieutenants, and in another two years they would probably be full commanders, or at least being considered for it. The thought of Travis commanding his own starship might seem strange given his relative youth, but at the rate ships were coming out of the yards Mayweather would have his first command before he was thirty. Lieutenant Commander Reed was already tentatively slated in as Cook's executive officer, and although his chief engineer didn't know it yet, a little bird named Forrest had whispered in Archer's ear that Trip Tucker would be offered command of the Yorktown.

It was a bittersweet thought, breaking up the team, but Archer knew he couldn't hold them here forever. All of them (and he included himself in that analysis) had been raw beginners when Dauntless slipped her moorings and headed out into the black four years before, but as of now there were no other human beings with anything approaching their knowledge and experience when it came to deep space operations, planetary surveys, and most importantly, first contacts. UESPA needed them in senior positions on the bridges of new hulls, making use of their experience and passing on their knowledge to others. Archer had a nasty suspicion they were going to want to make an admiral out of him, but he had already told Forrest he'd resign before they got away with that. Archer had a lot of exploring left in him- out here was where he belonged, for better or worse. There was already talk about the next class of starship after Dauntless; ships that would be better suited for long range exploration rather than serving primarily as a testbed for the Warp 5 engine. Archer was hoping to take out the lead ship in that class when the time came.

For the time being at least, the team was still together here on the familiar NX-01 and Archer took great comfort in that. He glanced again at T'Pol, still engrossed in her work, and wondered whether or not she would remain aboard Dauntless next year or return home to Vulcan. She'd been away from her people for a long time, even for a race as long-lived as hers. Part of him hoped she'd stay, while another part of him wondered if she might follow Trip over to the Yorktown provided he accepted command. The relationship between his science officer and chief engineer had been strange and tumultuous at times, but in their own way they had become quite close- damn near joined at the hip, by Vulcan standards. Of course, the choice might very well be made for her. Like UESPA officers, T'Pol answered to a higher authority as well. Time would tell but Archer would rather see more Vulcans aboard Earth ships rather than fewer, serving side by side as friends and colleagues. He suspected that it would be some time before that came to pass, if ever. Even though his opinion of the Vulcans had changed significantly over time, they tended to be much more sluggish about changing their own preconceptions. If 'stubborn' was an adjective that could be applied to an entire race, the Vulcans definitely qualified.

He heard the doors hiss open behind him, and Lieutenant Hoshi Sato strolled onto the bridge, relieving Ensign Chandaskar. Hoshi nodded and smiled a greeting at everyone as she took her station, placing an earpiece in her ear. "I hope we didn't interrupt anything important," Archer said casually.

"No sir," she replied cheerfully. "I was doing more work on the translator. It's coming along quite nicely. Doctor Phlox thinks there may even be potential for tying in a biomedical scanner to interpret and translate brainwave activity. We've been playing with some theories."

Archer's eyes widened a bit- he hadn't heard anything about brainwaves or medical scanners mentioned in concert with translator research before. "Sounds like some pretty heavy theories, lieutenant. I hope you've been relaying copies of your research back to Earth Command. If anything should happen to us out here…"

"They've got it all, captain," she replied, then paused in mock thoughtfulness. "Do you think if I stopped sending in updates, they might keep another ship nearby? Y'know, just to make sure we're staying safe?"

"Fat chance," snorted Petrefski from the helm. Hoshi fired him a faux-wounded look. Then she inquired as to the reason for the change in alert status, and listened patiently as Archer explained the situation to her. She nodded at the end and began monitoring all available frequencies at her console. Archer had come to depend on Hoshi's skills a good deal more than he was truly comfortable with- the fact that she'd saved their hides more than once during the mission was not lost on him, and he wondered how some of the other ships and crews were going to fare in first contact situations without linguists as naturally gifted as Sato aboard. Part of him felt that it would be better to keep her safe on Earth where she could work to improve the universal translator, but that selfish part of him wanted her right where she was, at the communications station aboard Dauntless where he could make use of her skills in the here and now. Sato, her continued safety, and her prodigious skills were the topics of much heated debate back at Earth Command, but the bottom line was that they couldn't steal her away as long as Dauntless was way out here.

Several quietly tense hours passed as Dauntless warped to the point where the nebulous reading had been spotted, then she slowed to impulse while they ran intense short range scans of the region. The scans turned up absolutely nothing, which T'Pol didn't seem to find surprising. The other vessel, if it existed at all, had been moving at high warp. As such, its plasma trail would have been so finely distributed that it was unlikely Dauntless's sensors could have picked it up anyway. In the end there were no hard answers, and the sensor contact didn't return.

Archer ended up ordering a return to normal status, and Dauntless returned to her base course. When he retired to his quarters for the evening after the customary dinner with Trip, T'Pol, and a couple of random junior officers, he was still feeling uneasy.

Outside his cabin viewport the stars continued their lazily gradual slide, each moment taking ship and crew farther and farther into the cold, dark unknown.

 

[Jedi Marso]

II​

Archer was just fading off to sleep when his intercom chirped at him. He sighed, flipped on the light, and activated the audio-only function. "This is the captain."

"T'Pol here, sir. Would you mind joining me in the astrometrics lab? I've found something that might be worthy of further investigation."

Archer was instantly awake, sitting up and reaching for his uniform coveralls. "Does it have anything to do with our sensor ghost?" he asked.

"Negative. It's an astronomical anomaly. A very curious one."

Archer found that intriguing. "I'll be right there," he replied. Several minutes later he joined T'Pol in the lab, where she and Lieutenant Mayweather were poring over the latest computerized charts they had created based on the ship's astronomical scans. "What have you got?" he asked.

"Here," she said, pointing to one of the stars on the screen. "AD-IIE, a K-type orange star. It has a planetary system, but no M-Class planets. However, there are three large gas giants and four smaller ones, along with a rocky asteroid belt. Each of the gas giants has a system of moons similar to the Jovian System at Sol, with the exception of one. AD-IIE-b sits just inside what would be considered the habitable zone in this system if a terrestrial planet were to exist, but we noticed a most curious absence of moons when compared with the others. There is one large moon, planet sized in fact, with a methane/oxygen atmosphere, but there should be more- many more. There is also a lack of fragments and other stray celestial objects in the Lagrange points. It's almost as though someone has mined this area extensively for resources, and hauled off all the mass that should be surrounding the region around this gas giant."

Archer sat back thoughtfully. "It's entirely possible someone has. The Andorians, maybe? They gave us some charts, but I didn't expect them to label them with every star system they might have mined for mineral or water resources."

"Yes sir," Travis cut in, "but the point is that it would have taken a very long time to mine away an entire system of moons. A very long time. The Andorians haven't been warp capable that long. Even at their current state of technology, it would take them a few centuries and orders of magnitude more interstellar lift capacity than they even possess to use up an entire system of moons and comet fragments. There's more: T'Pol was thinking that if the larger moon has an atmosphere and gets enough heat from the primary and the gas giant, there might be someone living there. Not like us, perhaps, but maybe someone. We thought it was worth a look."

Archer's face split into a huge grin. "A minor mystery, eh?" he asked. Travis was grinning back, and T'Pol merely looked on expectantly.

"We'd have to backtrack our course a bit," Travis added. "We've covered a good bit of distance since these scans were taken and analyzed. We can be there in about six and half days."

"Any objections, T'Pol?" Archer asked.

"None, sir. And it would make for a temporary diversion from charting scans."

"I'm sorry we're boring you, sev'utlam," Archer smiled, using her Vulcan rank. "Well, I don't blame you for wanting something more interesting to look at- we all do. Okay, course change is approved. Travis, run the course calculations and get us turned around. T'Pol, begin concentrated sensor scans as we approach the system. Let's see if anything else interesting shows up. Since we're stopping there anyway we'll conduct a full survey of the system, all planets, by the book. If there are any resources we can use, notify the supply officer. I know we could stand to top off our water tanks if nothing else, and with all those gas giants in the system we should also be able to top off on deuterium and tritium as well.

T'Pol nodded. "Very well, captain."

"I'm on it!" Travis added enthusiastically.

"I'll inform the rest of the crew in the morning," Archer added. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with my pillow." He was gone a moment later, leaving Travis and T'Pol to the task.

"I'm almost surprised he went for it," Travis remarked once he was gone. "After the past four years, something like this hardly seems worthy of our interest. It's just that it's the only thing remotely abnormal we've seen in over a month."

T'Pol's expression was slightly more guarded than usual, and she tore her gaze from the door where she'd been staring after Archer to look at Travis appraisingly, as if trying to decide whether or not to confide her thoughts to him. "He is worried," she said flatly.

Travis' smile faded. "I know. He senses the danger out here, now- the uncertainty. We all do. After that sensor contact today, I'm thinking that this diversion makes a good excuse for a course change in order to keep our line of movement less predictable."

"Space is vast," T'Pol reminded him. "It is not logical to assume that the hostile alien starships we've encountered will be out in this direction as well. Proof, not pointless emotion, will provide the answers we need."

Travis' gaze hardened slightly. "Emotion isn't necessarily pointless, sev'utlam. The captain has good instincts, and he trusts them. Even you should be aware of that by now, ma'am. Excuse me," he added, sliding past her in the confined space. "I need to get us on our new course or the captain will wonder why we're lollygagging."

T'Pol watched him go as well, aware that she had sparked a touch of anger in Lieutenant Mayweather. Even after four years it still surprised her that simple logic and the unvarnished truth could induce such strong emotional reactions in her shipmates. She had become skilled at avoiding insult, but she wasn't always one hundred percent successful. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow and turned back to her work. Dauntless’ sensors, while adequate, were still inferior to Vulcan instruments. She knew how to get the most out of them, however, and would endeavor to solve as much of the mystery as possible before the ship even entered the system.

 

[Jedi Marso]

III​

Captain's Star Log, November 1st, 2154. Ship's position: AD-IIE-b, or what the crew have already nicknamed 'Addie-2'. Our diversion to this system to investigate the anomalous dearth of moon-like bodies around the second gas giant has suddenly turned from a minor mystery into a much larger one. On approach, Science Officer T'Pol detected a large, apparently immobile vessel in orbit around the single large moon orbiting the second planet. All our attempts at contact have gone unanswered, and indeed the ship itself appears as though she may be a derelict. Information is limited at this time, but the crew and I are thrilled at the prospect of another first contact. We'll know more very soon. End entry.


Jonathon Archer leaned forward in his chair, watching with rapt attention as Dauntless closed with Addie-2's moon at full impulse. In the center of the main viewscreen, the dim speck of light that T'Pol had marked as the alien vessel was slowly growing larger and taking form. Whatever she was, she was about two and a half times the size of Dauntless and at least six times her internal volume, but she lacked the human starship's aesthetic lines. In fact, as the image clarified, Archer began wondering if they were looking at a space station rather than a ship. All he could tell from here was that the alien was roughly cylindrical, with many irregularities and protrusions in her hull that would become clearer as they came closer.

"Captain, all decks report condition one set throughout the ship," Hoshi reported from communications.

"Very well," Archer replied, glancing at his chrono out of sheer force of habit. He and Commander Reed both were always interested in how timely a manner Dauntless could go to general quarters. There didn't seem to be any imminent threat here, but Archer had learned that lesson the hard way a few too many times already. His days of open, naïve friendliness were long over. Every encounter now was tempered by caution and the understanding that not everyone they met out here was a potential friend or ally.

Not only that, they were a long way from home or help if things went south.

"Is that a space station?" Hoshi asked out loud a moment later, mirroring Archer's thoughts from a moment before.

"No," Travis replied confidently. "Look, she's basically symmetrical about her long axis, and that looks like a fusion torch on her forward end. The smaller scoop in back may be a radiation shield or ram collector."

"Or an aero brake," Reed commented from the tactical station.

Archer was forced to agree with Mayweather's assessment. He turned to T'Pol. "Close range scan?"

"Scanning," T'Pol replied, her face bathed in the blue light emanating from the sensor hood. "Power levels are extremely low, captain. Not quite zero, but near enough to make her appear powerless from any farther out. She's in a very high polar orbit, eccentric, designed to keep the mass of the moon between her and AD-IIE-b to the greatest extent possible. This would indicate that whoever parked the ship here was concerned about the radiation being thrown off by the gas giant."

"Biosigns?" Archer asked.

"Negative," T'Pol replied, wishing for the umpteenth time that Dauntless had the sensor suite of a Vulcan science vessel. Even after four years, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was working with one hand tied behind her back- colloquially speaking, of course.

"Any indication as to how long she's been here?" Archer asked.

"Indeterminate," T'Pol replied. "Once we're closer, I may be able to scan them closely enough to date the hull. Barring that, we'd need a sample to analyze."

"Noted. Hoshi, still no answer to our communications?"

"Nothing, captain."

"Travis, place us in orbit behind the alien vessel. Ten kilometer separation."

"Aye aye, captain," Mayweather replied hesitantly. "Recommendation?" he added tentatively.

"Shoot," Archer replied.

"Sir, that derelict doesn't look warp capable. If either end is actually a direct-fusion propulsion system, a leading or trailing position might put us in position to be cooked. Our hull would not be able to withstand direct contact with the plasma stream if they activated their drive system with us in its path. Even if the hull could withstand it, the radiation would fry us instantly. It would be like driving the ship into the corona of a star." Jonathon Archer nodded thoughtfully. His own father had been a warp engineer, and Jon had spent his childhood engrossed in studying warp engines and potential designs for warp-capable ships. Travis Mayweather, born and raised aboard slow-moving interstellar freighters, had clearly studied a more diverse variety of designs than his captain.

"Excellent recommendation, lieutenant," Archer replied. "Put us abeam instead, and monitor her. If she precesses or otherwise attempts to turn her bow or stern end toward us, compensate as necessary to keep the ship out of danger."

"Aye aye, sir."

Archer stabbed his intercom. "Commander Tucker, report to the bridge please," he sent. "T'Pol, has there been any change in power readings?"

"Negative."

"Anything that looks like weapons or missile tubes?"

"It's difficult to say, captain. The technology here is completely unknown to us. However, based on my scans and observations, I see no imminent threat from this vessel whatsoever. She appears to be dead in space, aside from low power emanating from a cold fusion reactor located somewhere amidships. I'm now detecting the presence of two larger fusion reactors, both currently inert."

"What about those four spikey looking things sticking out near the stern?" Archer asked.

T'Pol sighed inwardly at the human's extremely un-precise description. "Those 'spikey looking things', to use your nomenclature, appear to be fuel tanks, possibly for deuterium or antimatter. However, all four are empty at this time and there is no power running out to them at all. If there was antimatter present, they'd need some power for magnetic containment."

Archer nodded. "Hoshi, stand down to condition two. Let's get the science labs up and running, and find some answers."

"Condition two, aye aye," Hoshi replied. Travis reported that their orbit was established over the whistle of the bosun's pipe preceeding Hoshi's announcement on shipwide intercom.

Commander Tucker arrived on the bridge a minute or so later, looking excited. "What can I do for-" he started to say, then stopped and whistled appreciatively as he caught sight of the vessel on the viewscreen. "Is that a ship or a space station?" he asked almost immediately. Everyone on the bridge except T'Pol chuckled.

"Travis thinks it's a ship," Archer offered.

"Well if she is, she isn't warp capable," Trip pointed out immediately. "Actually, the design vaguely reminds me of some of our early attempts at direct fusion drives, before we discovered impulse continuum distortion. The large scoop would be her main drive, and the smaller scoop would be a combination radiation shield and hydrogen collector. And there, see those?" he added, pointing to a cluster of spheroid protrusions just behind the smaller scoop.

"Yeah," Travis said, sounding animated again, "I was thinking those are either water or deuterium fuel tanks. In that position, they would serve to help shield her crew from interstellar radiation. She probably moved at relativistic speed, although who knows how close to cee she could get."

Trip grinned and gestured toward Mayweather expansively. "Hell captain, you didn't need me. Looks like Travis has this one all figured out." At his station, Travis was grinning broadly.

"Wouldn't those be better off if they were placed back by the fusion drive?" Archer asked.

"Not necessarily," Trip replied. "See those spikey looking things near the stern?" he asked, completely missing the very un-Vulcanlike look of exasperated disgust that flashed across T'Pol's face for a split-second. "I'll bet they are either deuterium, tritium, or antimatter fuel cells." He glanced at T'Pol. "Are you detecting any anti-?"

"Negative," she interjected, perhaps a little more forcefully than necessary. Trip spared her a perplexed 'what did I say?' glance before turning back to the screen.

"Anyway," he went on, "those are probably the tanks for the main drive. My guess would be antimatter, captain. A ship that size would need antimatter to move across interstellar distances, and if those spikes double as a sort of crude magnetic injector system, you could reverse the flow and vent the antimatter into space in the event of an emergency. Sort of like ejecting a warp core, except that they don't have one. The forward tanks would be to fuel any of their auxiliary craft and their primary fusion reactors, which would serve as their power supply and a back-up drive fuel if they lost their antimatter. Different equations and fuel feed problems for different fuel, but they probably designed her to convert over if necessary. I would love to get a look at the inside of her!" he added exuberantly.

"You may get the chance," Archer replied. "She appears to be dead in space."

"Excuse me, gentlemen, but we may be losing sight of the larger picture here," T'Pol interrupted.

"Oh? How so?" Trip asked with a cocky grin.

"Perhaps we should be attempting to determine where the ship came from. Logically, she did not originate in this system, nor do we have any idea what she was doing here."

"Mining resources, perhaps?" Travis offered.

"Unlikely," T'Pol replied. "Attempting to mine this system for resources with a vessel of this design is beyond impractical. The cost would outweigh the benefits using almost any model of economic theory you tried to apply."

"Let's back up for just a moment," Archer added. "T'Pol, run our records and see if this ship matches any design on file. She could be an early Andorian or Tellarite attempt at interstellar travel, and we wouldn't even know it. If so, she might have significant historical value to them." T'Pol nodded, and got busy at her console.

"Excuse me, captain," Lieutenant Commander Reed cut in, "but what about the missing moons? Isn't that what drew us here in the first place?"

"I've found some of the missing mass we're looking for," T'Pol informed them, looking up from her research. She reached over to her side console and nodded toward the main viewscreen. "Look at this," she told them. The viewer shifted perspective, and the mysterious alien vessel was replaced with the view of a densely packed debris field, tens of thousands of kilometers long. The mass was thicker in the center than at either end, but Archer knew that if they could accelerate time and watch what was happening on a cosmic timescale, they would see the debris field accreting outward slowly in a flat orbit around the gas giant.

"Incipient ring formation," he muttered.

"Indeed," T'Pol agreed, and her body language betrayed the fact that she was impressed with the captain's analysis, although she'd never admit it. "There are some anomalies here that bear further study, but at least I have a starting point."

Travis was shaking his head- he'd been looking at the astrometric data over the past several days as well, as they'd flown their approach to the system. "It doesn't account for all the mass that we would expect to find here," he said confidently, "and it doesn't address the lack of comet fragments and other stellar debris we'd expect to see in the Lagrange points."

Archer glanced at T'Pol for her opinion. "I believe I just stated that," she said simply.

"I have the feeling that this all ties together somehow," Archer said. "Somehow, I don't think that the missing moons and comets and such are coincidental, given the presence of this vessel. Recommendations?"

"We've got to go take a look at her, captain!" Trip grinned. "If she's a derelict or abandoned, maybe we can answer all these questions."

Archer frowned slightly. "T'Pol, what about the moon itself?"

"Class K planetoid, roughly analogous to your Saturnian moon, Titan, in its pre-terraformed state. Predominantly methane atmosphere with approximately eight percent free oxygen content along with other trace gases, several areas of standing liquid water, average surface temperature ten degrees Celsius. Atmospheric pressure is three hundred millibars at the surface, or approximately one third Earth standard pressure if you prefer, and surface gravity is point four. Not able to support humanoid life in its present state."

"Surface biosigns?"

"Indeterminate, captain," T'Pol replied. "The surface is either sterile, or there isn't sufficient life present for the sensors to pick up from here. The gas giant's radiation belt is degrading our sensor efficiency somewhat."

Trip got a slightly insulted look on his face. "What she means to say, captain, is that our sensors aren't quite as good as what she's used to working with. Right, T'Pol?"

"If I had meant to say that, I would have, commander," she replied evenly. "In this case, it is you who brought it up, not I. The fact remains that a detailed bio-analysis of the surface will require a landing party."

"Two parties, then," Archer decided. "Trip, you, Hoshi, and Travis take a team over to the derelict and see what you can find out. T'Pol, you and Doctor Phlox put together a ground team for a surface survey of this moon. The surface team will land first, then the shuttlepod will return and transport the boarding party over to the derelict. Shuttlepod two will stand ready to assist either group in an emergency if need be. T'Pol, what's our read on the conditions inside the derelict?"

"Commander Tucker's boarding party will require full environmental suits," she replied.

"Great," Hoshi grumbled sarcastically from her station.

"The atmosphere inside the derelict is currently about a quarter bar, primarily methane gas, and sub-freezing. There is no artificial gravity, either. They'll need mag-boots."

"No light, no heat, no air," Trip was mumbling. "Probably nobody home at all. Well, maybe Hoshi will be able to make something of their writing."

Hoshi was shaking her head. "Last time I went aboard a derelict, there were aliens hanging on hooks getting their juices harvested or something," she complained. "Captain, if there's nobody over there to talk to, do I really need to go?" she was smiling as she said it- Hoshi had toughened up considerably during the past four years.

"Sorry, lieutenant. Sometimes communication is limited to reading the scratch marks on the wall. Hop to it."

"Aye aye, sir," she chuckled.

"All of you have your orders," Archer reminded them. "Let's get to work."

 

[Jedi Marso]

IV​

"How does the saying go? Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here?" Phlox joked as he looked around the landing site. Behind him, two crewman encumbered in environmental suits were unloading large cases containing their scanning equipment and emergency supplies. It was heavy, familiar work that Dauntless' crew had performed on many planetary surfaces over the last few years, but in this case the low surface gravity made it fairly easy. T'Pol didn't answer, but instead walked over to one of the equipment cases, careful to control her movements. Her Vulcan strength would make her even more susceptible than the humans or Phlox to performing unwanted acrobatics if she let her body move like it normally did. Mass and inertia remained constant even in lower gravity, and it was easy to injure oneself if not careful. Even moving with slow, deliberate caution, T'Pol was still the only member of the landing party who looked even remotely graceful in an environmental suit. Then again, she had decades more experience at it than the next oldest member of the landing party.

The best that Earth technology had to offer in the way of portable scanning equipment was pretty good, but the miniaturization aspect of it still needed work. T'Pol pulled a backpack-sized processor module out of its foam-insulated case, and snapped it into a receptacle designed for it on the front of her suit. Then she pulled out another device: a combination viewscreen/ emitter module, and activated it. The suit-processor did all the computing, while the handheld (which required both hands) was the actual sensor scanner and display readout, combined into one. The whole array was fairly light even in standard gravity, but it was cumbersome- the biggest disadvantage was that a crewman using the scanner gear pretty much had his or her hands full, and couldn't move very fast in an emergency. UESPA's sciences technology division and the Vulcan Science Council had been collaborating on miniaturized portable sensors of a hand-held size for use by scientists and physicians, but the first prototype units were still several years away.

The scanner pack T'Pol wore now could scan and record for either energy forms, the physical composition of matter, or biochemical analysis. It was called a tri-spectrum recorder, but most users had already shortened that down to 'tricorder'. T'Pol doubted that she would need to conduct any energy scans; there were no sources of energy present other than naturally occurring ones such as geothermal taps or ambient radiation. They were here to determine if the surface of this moon was dead, or whether there was any sort of biological matter present. With that in mind she switched the scanner over to its biosciences function. The oxygen content of the atmosphere made it very likely that there were bio organisms present, but at first glance and based on the optical scans she'd made of the surface from Dauntless, any life they found here would take the form of bacteria, viral, and perhaps some moss or lichens.

"Sev'utlam T'Pol," Ensign Petrefski's voice sounded in her helmet, "we've completed offloading. The emergency shelter and spare oxygen cells are in the last two cases, clearly marked if you need them. We're ready to lift for Dauntless."

"Very well. We'll maintain regular hourly contact. Thank you, ensign."

"Yes ma'am," Petrefski replied. T'Pol turned and watched the hatch of Shuttlepod One seal up, and a moment later the shuttle levitated up on her anti-gravs to an altitude of ten meters or so before pitching up steeply and accelerating for orbit.

"Alone at last," Phlox chuckled, and his voice was so rich with its customary light humor that T'Pol imagined she could see the broad smile splitting the doctor's face. "Crewman Sanders, please escort T'Pol and assist her with the scanner pack. Ensign Valdez, there is a lake approximately a half kilometer in the direction of Addie-2 there," he said, gesturing toward the sight of the banded gas giant that dominated one quarter of the horizon. "If you'll start collecting liquid samples, I'll follow and collect soil samples. Be alert for mosses or lichens under the rocks, and maintain visual contact with me at all times. I'll do the same."

"Yes Doctor," replied the slightly musical voice of Maria Valdez.

Crewman 1st Class Mike Sanders pulled a medium range nav-beacon out of one of the equipment packs, attached it to a short metal staff, and thrust it into the ground. A quick twist on the top end activated it, and all of their suits suddenly had a reference point they could call 'home'. That was important in a place where one's supply of air was limited to their suit tanks, and all the extra they had was stacked inconspicuously in the middle of nowhere. He nodded to T'Pol, and the two of them started off in roughly the opposite direction to Phlox and Valdez. Sanders occasionally took samples from the kit he carried, while she waved the sensor transceiver over the regolith, taking readings.

What they discovered after several minutes was that the ground was no longer strictly regolith, but the beginnings of soil. There were bacteria present in large quantities, although the scanner pack didn't have the diagnostic ability to break down the exact chemical composition- they would need the ship's laboratory for that purpose. However, based on past experience making soil scans, T'Pol suspected that it would be some time- on the order of thousands of years, at least- before the dirt of this moon would be 'alive' enough to support any sort of advanced flora. It was well on its way, though, if she was reading her findings correctly. She had suspected as much due to the oxygen content of the atmosphere, but when this biochemistry was fully evolved it would still be completely alien.

In summary, no surprises so far.

Even though there looked to be little of interest here, T'Pol had to admit to herself that it was a welcome change to be free of the confines of the ship, even if for a short time. And a short time it would have to be- the radiation exposure they were getting from Addie-2 was tolerable for the length of this mission, but it wouldn't be healthy for them to stay too long.

Something began tickling the back of T'Pol's mind when she thought of the radiation, and she found herself stopping in her tracks. She turned and looked back toward Addie-2, which was still hanging magnificently in the sky, partially obscured behind some wispy methane clouds. Partially obscured, she thought to herself. She was disciplined enough to realize her mind was trying to tell her something, but whatever it was just wasn't coming forth in a clear, logical manner. Were she to recognize emotion in herself, she might have said it was slightly annoying. Aside from that, she decided that if she stopped thinking about it, whatever it was might come to her on its own. Trip- Commander Tucker, she reminded herself- had mentioned once or twice that the technique worked for him when he couldn't remember something.

"Ma'am?" Crewman Sanders' voice crackled in her helmet, breaking her reverie. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," she replied simply, turning back to the task at hand. Mike Sanders' had followed her gaze and seen her staring at the gas giant above them, hanging in about three quarters phase. This was the sort of view he had signed on for, and he grinned at the notion that their perpetually icy science officer wasn't immune to the charm of it. Of course he was completely mistaken, but it didn't stop him from making the assumption nevertheless.

Not very far away, Phlox finished scraping a reddish-black mold off of the underside of a large, damp rock near the shore of the lake. Ensign Valdez was about thirty feet away, crouched down in ankle-deep water, filling sample vials. "There have got to be a lot of microorganisms in here," she said. "With all the bacteria in the ground, the molds and such…do you think we'll find any straight aminos?"

"Certainly," Phlox answered, sparing Addie-2 a quick glance. "It might be a bit early for much else, though. The radiation output of the gas giant might interfere with the evolution of higher forms at this stage and in the future. We can either break out the other scanner pack later or ask T'Pol to scan the lake when she's done with the soil scans. The truth is, while what we've found is unremarkable, there is a strong possibility that we are seeing the peak of biological development on this moon. The conditions aren't really right for it. Of course, I'm talking about the biological forms we're compatible with- there are doubtlessly countless others that would thrive here. This moon almost qualifies as adaptable, by our standards. The temperatures are high enough, and if you could put a terrestrial ecosystem in place the oxygen content of the air would increase. The methane is a problem, of course, but a solvable one. There is a large amount of free standing liquid water as well. We could live here, under pressure domes."

"Maybe, but why bother?" Valdez replied. "Planets like Terra Nova and Archer 4 are a helluva lot more hospitable, and no domes needed. What I've been wondering is why this moon isn't tidally locked."

"Excuse me?" Phlox said.

"The preliminary report shows that the moon has a thirty-eight-hour day-night cycle. You have to admit, doc, that's pretty loco. A moon this size orbiting a gas giant should be tidally locked. Once side facing all the time, comprende?"

Inside his helmet, Phlox's lips pursed up in surprise. "I hadn't even considered that, but you're right. I'm afraid astrodynamics isn't my specialty. Nothing about this region seems to be making much sense, does it?"

Maria laughed. "Guess that's why we're here, isn't it? If it made sense, we'd have already moved on. I wonder what team two is going to find aboard that derelict?"

"I have no idea, ensign, but I heartily suspect it's going to be more interesting than bacteria, moss, and methane."

 

[Jedi Marso]

V​

"Captain Archer, I'm picking up an intermittent sensor contact at the extreme edge of our current detection range." This report came from Lieutenant J.G. Ling, currently manning the science station.

Archer had been planning for this moment, should it occur, for the past several days. He stabbed the intercom without hesitation. "Engineering, this is the captain. Route all available surplus power to the sensor suite, immediately!"

"Aye aye, captain," came the reply.

Archer turned back to Ling. "Concentrated sensor scan, lieutenant. I want to know if there is actually something there or not."

"Stand by, sir," Ling replied, watching the console expectantly. A moment later she saw her power indicators slide up as the sensor suite received a power boost. Her fingers began dancing over the console by memory, as she turned and looked into the sensor hood. "Beginning directed scan."

Archer exchanged a pointed look with Malcom Reed, sitting at his customary post. "Our mysterious friend again?"

"If so, they've got a lot better sensors than we do, to track us all the way here," Reed replied. "That is, if they ever lost sensor contact with us at all. Helm, what's the position of Shuttlepod One?" he asked.

"They are almost to the derelict, sir," replied the duty helmsman.

"Do you want to recall them, sir?" Reed asked.

Archer shook his head. "Let's not jump the gun just yet, Malcolm," he replied. "Lieutenant Ling, any luck with that scan?"

"I painted them with two solid sweeps, and then they ducked back out of range. Definitely a ship of some kind, captain. No question about it, in my opinion. I think they detected our scan and backed off."

Archer turned to Ensign Chandaskar at communications. "Open standard greeting frequencies, directional beam," he ordered.

"You're live, captain," Chandaskar replied a moment later.

"Attention unidentified vessel, this is the Starship Dauntless, an exploration vessel of the United Earth Space Probe Agency. I am Captain Jonathon Archer, commanding this ship and expedition. Be advised that our mission is one of peace. We are not hostile, and it is safe for you to approach. Part of our mission mandate is to make contact with new species. We invite you to open communications. Please respond."

Several tense seconds passed on the bridge, and Archer finally looked over at Chandaskar, who shook his head. "Unidentified starship, I say again, this is Captain Jonathon Archer commanding the UES Dauntless. We invite you to approach and open communications; our intentions are peaceful. We will monitor these channels in the event you decide to reply. End communication." He settled back in the command chair and waited another minute, but there was still no response. He finally made a 'cut' gesture to Chandaskar, who closed the channel.

"We're off the air," the ensign reported.

Archer turned to Reed. "What do you think, commander?"

Reed shook his head. "They must have heard us; that transmitter could reach Earth Command from here, time lag notwithstanding. Either they need some time to translate our language, or they simply aren't in the mood to talk."

"Lieutenant Ling, how much data were you able to get?"

"Not much, captain, the ship was at the edge of our range, and the gas giant is interfering with our sensors a bit. I detected a warpfield, power readings, and a mass I estimate to be less than our own. Enough to tell that it was a ship, but not much beyond that."

"Captain," Chandaskar interrupted, "Ensign Petrefski is reporting that Shuttlepod One has docked with the alien vessel. They're rigging the universal collar over their airlock right now."

"Very well. Inform Commander Tucker that they are to report at no more than fifteen minute intervals. Keep the shuttlepod docked with the derelict. Tell Ski to keep her warm and ready to go at a moment's notice."

"Aye aye, sir," Chandaskar replied.

Archer turned back to Reed. "Malcolm, what would you think about extending our sensor range a bit? I don't like sitting here blind, and between the gas giant and this moon, we've got way too many blind spots."

"You want to deploy some portable sensor relays?"

"That's what I was thinking."

"Sounds bloody fantastic," Reed agreed. He snapped on his intercom. "Armory, this is the bridge."

"Chief Petrov, sir!" replied a man with a thick Russian accent.

"Chief, break out a half dozen sensor relays and prep them for deployment. Reset the aft railgun turret for near-zero muzzle velocity, and load them into the magazine when prepped. We'll deploy on the captain's command."

"We're on it, commander. Petrov out."

"Helm," Archer ordered, standing up from his chair, "give me a tactical plot on the main viewer, 45 degree angle to the eccliptic, centered on us."

"Coming up, captain," the helmsman replied. Archer strode past him, catching the electronic plotter Reed tossed at him from the tactical station. Archer stepped in front of the main viewscreen, eyeing it critically.

"Increase scale," Archer ordered. The view jumped back from their position, showing more space. "Mark these positions and lock them into the astrogator," he ordered, then used the electronic stylus to touch the main viewscreen at the six points he wanted to deploy the sensor relays. He chose them specifically to eliminate the sensor shadows formed by the gas giant and the moon. When the relays were in place, their sensor range would expand significantly, and there would be no way another ship should be able to sneak up on them using AD-IIE-b or its moon as cover. He looked questioningly at Reed, who smiled sheepishly.

"If I may, sir?" he asked. Archer nodded, and Reed made some inputs from his station. Three of the marked positions shifted slightly, and Archer immediately saw the improvement in coverage the new positions gave them. He nodded his approval.

"Helm, plot a round robin course for deployment, to return us to this position. How long will it take?"

"Gimme a minute, captain," the ensign replied, starting to look stressed for the first time this shift. This was a bit more complicated than plotting a straight line course between two points, or a simple parabolic curve around an obstacle. It wasn't enough to hit the six waypoints, they'd have to slow down to deploy the sensors into position accurately. Even with computer assist, running the calculation took a bit of time. Archer watched the tactical plot, and as the helmsman completed his work, a course line appeared, zig-zagging them around to all six deployment waypoints before returning them to their present position.

"Good work," he muttered in approval. "Ensign Chandaskar, get me T'Pol on the surface, please." Chandaskar acknowledged, and a moment later T'Pol's response echoed over the bridge speakers. "How's it going down there?" Archer asked.

"The mission is proceeding nominally, captain. We only need another hour down here; there isn't much to see. We are positive for low-order life forms, however. We have enough to keep the labs busy for a while."

"Excellent. You may be interested to know that our sensor shadow has returned, and Lieutenant Ling has verified that it is indeed a ship. It isn't responding to hails, but it is keeping its distance for now. If you are okay down there, I'm going to take Dauntless out a ways and deploy some sensor relays. We'll be back in…" he paused and looked up at the tactical plot where the time indices were displayed, "…approximately ninety minutes. We won't be that far away, but we'll be out of communications range when we're masked by the moon and Addie-2. If you need to call us, relay through Petrefski in Shuttlepod One. They'll remained docked with the derelict."

"A logical precaution, captain. Barring the unexpected, we'll be fine here until you return. T'Pol out."

Archer called Petrefski next and relayed the same information. Then he turned to the helmsman. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready, sir," Helm replied.

"Execute the deployment pattern, ensign, speed at your discretion."

 

[Jedi Marso]

VI​

Trip Tucker was the first human being to step aboard the derelict. The alien airlock was cleverly designed: a two-hatch-in-one arrangement on both the inner and outer doors. The outer hatch was larger than the shuttlepod itself, probably used for loading cargo, but at the center of that large hatch was a smaller one which they could mate their universal collar to. The manual controls for the outer airlock hatch were fairly straightforward to anyone possessing a modest level of problem-solving intelligence, and the inner lock was easily large enough to hold the entire boarding party. Once the outer door was closed, Trip cautiously vented the airlock atmosphere to space in order to prevent contamination of the vessel's interior with any gasses from the shuttlepod and by extension, Dauntless herself. It was sort of a reverse decontamination since they didn't know what might be harmful to the ship's interior. When the inner door opened they felt the slight push of a breeze against the skin of their suits as a very thin mix of oxygen and methane rushed into the evacuated airlock and restored balanced pressure.

They were inside.

They all switched on their suit lights. After a cursory look around, it was apparent that they were in a large cargo storage area. The bulkheads were lined with shelves which were packed from deck to overhead with vacuum-sealed supplies of some sort. Heavy machinery was secured firmly to the deck, packed in so tightly that they had to release their mag-boots and float up in zero-gee in order to get over it all and see where they were going.

"Gawd, look at all this stuff!" Travis breathed. "There's more cargo capacity in just this one section than we could tow with the old Horizon," he added, referring to the ship on which he had been born and raised.

"Makes sense, I guess," Trip said in a subdued voice. "It looks like these folks were on a one-way journey. They either had to bring it with them or do without when they got here. What do you make of all this heavy stuff?"

"I'd say farm equipment, if you ask me," Hoshi replied nonchalantly. "It doesn't look all that different from the big combine machines they used down in South America, near where I was teaching."

"A colony ship?" Travis wondered aloud.

"It would seem so," Trip replied. "But where the hell is the crew?" Nobody had an answer to that one yet.

"Yup. Definitely another dark, spooky ship," Hoshi shuddered. "Let's get some tricorder equipment in here."

"We can move the scanner crates into the airlock and use that as a staging area," Tucker suggested. "Wegan, Drake, go ahead and move the stuff over out of the shuttlepod, then both of you gear up. I want one of you configured for energy, and the other for physical and life sciences. Scan and record everything. Everyone else, activate your suit recorders and make an audiovisual log of everything you run across. Mister Wegan, the first thing I want is dating on the hull. I want to know how long this ship has been hanging around here. Travis, you and Hoshi start looking for the control center or bridge. Petty Officer Barrett, you stick with me. We'll start working our way aft, toward the propulsion plant. Buddy system is in effect, people: each person in a pair will hold the other in visual contact at all times- no exceptions. Understood?"

A chorus of affirmations came back at him.

The next hour was both eerie and absolutely fascinating at the same time. As the teams worked their way through the derelict, it became obvious fairly quickly that the ship had been ingeniously designed by a culture much less advanced in astronautics than Earth. The aliens had possessed all the right ideas and had designed all the right systems for the level of technology they possessed, but they obviously never figured out how to generate artificial gravity fields. Anti-gravity would have led them directly to impulse propulsion and a host of other beneficial space technologies, eventually culminating in the development of a basic warp superimpellor. Just aft of the cargo bay, Trip and Barrett discovered another treasure trove of alien artifacts: a vast hangar bay containing four fusion powered surface landers and two aerodynamically designed spaceplanes. Any of the six vessels could have doubled as orbital craft, and the fusion ships were large enough to boast interplanetary range within the confines of a solar system. Trip and Barrett crawled over them for the better part of an hour after discovering them, even venturing inside and making recordings of the interiors and the darkened control panels in the cockpit. The ships and their interiors were large and spacious by human standards, leading them to believe that the aliens who would have piloted them were larger than humans by about half. The acceleration couches all looked oversized by human standards, but suitable for humanoid forms.

Trip's helmet communicator chirped at him about the time he was finished making a preliminary inspection of the interior of one of the spaceplanes. "Ensign Petrefski reporting, sir. Dauntless has finished her sensor relay deployment and is back in position. Captain Archer is asking for an update."

"Start uploading all the images we've recorded," Trip grinned. "Tell him-"

He was cut off as an ear-splitting shriek of terror ripped through his helmet speakers.

It was Hoshi.

 

[Jedi Marso]

VII​

"All relays are functioning normally, captain," Ling reported aboard Dauntless' bridge. "We'll know if anyone comes knocking. In fact, there she is now," she added in a tone so conversational that Archer did a complete double take.

"What? You've got contact?" Archer asked.

"Yes sir," Ling replied smugly. "They must have been ghosting us out of our range while we were deploying the relays. With the added coverage, we're holding contact on them. Boosting power-"

"NO!" Archer and Reed barked at the same time. Ling paused, looking up at them with her hand frozen above the console.

"Or not…" she added with a touch of sarcasm.

"Not yet," Archer amended. "What's she doing?"

"She's just sitting out there beyond our normal sensor range. She's not moving. According to the passives on our relays, she's actively scanning in our direction."

"Excellent. Don't do anything to tip our hand, lieutenant. No change in power to the sensors, no directed scans. Maintain our pre-relay scanning pattern. I don't think she can see the relays. Based on where we dropped them, she must assume we flew the pattern to spot-check our various blind spots. Now we can spy on her a bit and see what course of action they intend to take."

"Understood, captain," Ling replied, looking a little chastised.

"Don't feel bad, lieutenant," Reed told her. "This is how you get experienced at this sort of thing. You've just got to be a tricky bugger once in a while." Reed let loose a feral grin as he said it, and Ling was soon grinning along with him.

"Keep a close eye on her, lieutenant, and inform me of any change. In the meantime, let's see what our teams are learning. Mister Chandaskar, put me through to team two."

"I have Shuttlepod One, captain," came the immediate reply.

"Ensign Petrefski, what's the word?" Archer asked jovially.

"We're going to start sending you data and-" Petrefski's voice cut out. Out of the corner of his eye, Archer saw Chandaskar rip out his earpiece with a disgusted, pained look on his face- he was monitoring all the channels.

"Trouble?" Archer asked tensely.

"Lieutenant Sato," Chandaskar replied. "On audio, captain."

"Oh God! Oh God!" he heard Hoshi cry out. "It's the same thing again! They're all DEAD!" she near screamed. They could hear her hyperventilating into her helmet.

"Trip!" Archer barked into the comm.

"Barrett and I are on our way to her," came the clipped reply. "Travis! Where are you?"

"I'm with her," he replied, sounding none too happy himself. "We've definitely found the crew, guys, and they are definitely dead."

"Are they being harvested?" Archer asked.

"Uhh, I'm not sure, captain. They're all encased in glass tubes. It doesn't look like the same technology we saw being used on the other derelict a few years ago."

"Hold on a minute," Trip's voice cut in, sounding exasperated. "Travis, take a look around the compartment you're in. Does any of the equipment look out of place, or is it indigenous to the ship?"

There was a pause, and when Travis replied he sounded much calmer. "Uhh, now that you mention it, sir, it does look like it belongs here. There are about two dozen cylindrical tubes, transparent, with bodies inside them. They look stiff as boards."

"Are any of the monitors active?" Trip asked.

Another pause, and this time it was Hoshi who replied, with a lot more composure than she'd displayed the past minute or two. "Commander, there isn't anything here that really looks like a monitor, and all the console displays are dark."

"Listen carefully," Trip said slowly. "Have either of you touched anything in there?"

"No sir," Travis replied immediately.

"Then don't. I want both of you to go out the same hatch you entered through and stand by. Mister Drake, are you listening in?"

"Yessir!"

"Meet me at their position. Wegan, reconfigure your scanner pack for life sciences and then meet me there as well. I think those crewmembers may be in some sort of stasis or suspended animation. We need to make a full scan of the compartment. In the meantime, nobody touches anything in there or we might wind up killing them. Does everyone understand?"

They did. "Trip," Archer sent, "any luck on determining how long has this ship been here?"

"Mister Wegan," Trip sent, "did you have a chance to run the dating analysis I asked for?"

"Results came through about fifteen minutes ago, sir, but I was running them again for confirmation. The first result seemed a little outrageous."

"How outrageous are we talkin'?" Trip wanted to know.

Wegan sounded a bit nervous. "Uhh, on the order of forty-three thousand years, sir." Silence reigned over the comm channels for a few moments after that announcement.

Trip drew a deep breath, and expended it loudly before whistling. "Captain," he said completely deadpan, "I think I'd like for T'Pol and Doctor Phlox to join us over here before we go any farther.

Archer's reply was immediate. "I'm breaking protocol and sending Shuttlepod Two to recover team one right now. Stay put, and continue your exploration of the other parts of the ship until they arrive. Hoshi," he added, "are you okay?"

"Yes sir," she replied, sounding completely embarrassed. "I'm sorry, captain. It's the damn environment suit, sir! It gets me wound up every time!"

"Don't worry about it, lieutenant. Remain clear of any crew compartments and such for now, but continue gathering data on the rest."

"If you don't mind my asking, captain, what's the rush?" Trip asked. "I'd really like to wait for Phlox and T'Pol before we start digging any further."

"We aren't alone out here, Trip," Archer reminded him. "We're under observation, and I'm not sure how this is all going to go. If we wind up facing off against another one of those alien hawk-ships, we might end up having to bug out fast and then not come back. If that happens I want as much information on this ship and species as we can gather."

"Understood, captain," Trip replied.

"One more thing," Archer added as an afterthought. "Hoshi, could you see the aliens in the tubes?"

"Yes sir," she replied.

"Did they have eyes?"

"Yes sir, big black orbs. Wide open and totally lifeless, if you ask me."

"Did they look anything like the eyes on those Andorian deep cave crawlers that Shran tried to convince us are a delicacy? Remember? The ones that breed in methane vents?"

"Sir, you are grossing me out," Hoshi chided him, "but yeah, sort of. Sir."

"Try switching your opticals over to infrared or ultraviolet, and take a look at some of the control consoles or pedestals again."

Hoshi made some adjustments to her visor controls, and poked her head back into the room with the alien bodies. Not only were there control consoles, they were alive with information displays, and the room was completely illuminated by UV lights she hadn't even known were embedded in the overheads. In this mode, she could see almost as well as she could aboard Dauntless' bridge. "Oh yeah," she replied immediately. "That did the trick. The room is lit up like a Christmas tree, captain."

"You're welcome," Archer chuckled sotto voce. "Captain out." The channel went dead.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Travis asked after a pregnant pause.

Hoshi, disgusted with her lack of composure and feeling strung out on adrenaline and claustrophobia, threw up her hands in resignation. "I don't know! I guess that's why he's the captain!"

 

[Jedi Marso]

VIII​

Captain's Star Log, November 3rd, 2154. Ships position: AD-IIE-b. We've been here for forty-eight hours now, gathering data from the alien colony ship at a feverish pace. We've discovered that the ship isn't a derelict, but rather a massive colonization effort launched from an unknown system more than forty thousand years ago. Where they came from is a mystery we may never solve, but our science teams are slowly unravelling the mystery of what the aliens have been up to since they arrived, and we think we know why there is so much 'missing mass' in the vicinity of Addie-2. The unidentified vessel that has been shadowing us has stayed with us the entire time, occasionally changing positions, closing and then opening the distance, attempting to probe our sensor capabilities, I'd guess. We are hoping that by observing us, they will see that we are explorers and that they have nothing to fear from us. As for their hesitation to approach, it is easing my mind somewhat; the overtly hostile, bird-shaped starships we've encountered recently were boldly aggressive from the moment contact was made, which is definitely not the case here. We've been playing possum, refusing to send boosted or directed scans at them, and as far as we can tell they still haven't detected our sensor relays. Twice I've maneuvered Dauntless in faked displays to scan our blind spots- since we did it once to deploy the relays, I don't want to give the intruder reason to wonder why we haven't checked them since. Each time they backed off out of sensor range, only to return from another vector once we were back in orbit with the colony ship. Frankly, the mystery of the intruder is beginning to take a back seat to the colony ship itself, which is much more interesting. Even so, we'll maintain our vigilance. End entry.



Captain Archer strolled into the biosciences lab where Doctor Phlox, T'Pol, and their staff were poring over a multitude of images and information recorded by their scans of the alien vessel's crew compartments. The space Hoshi and Travis had stumbled into had been the smallest of three compartments containing alien colonists- there were two other chambers, both of which were much larger and housing approximately three hundred of the aliens apiece. This put the live crew complement at just over six hundred. However, that wasn't all. They also found what they had taken to calling 'the egg chamber'. Phlox's best guess was that it was a nursery of sorts, where several thousand small eggs were suspended in low-entropy stasis fields different than the suspended animation tanks the live crewmembers were in. Whether the eggs were unfertilized or fertilized was unknown, or even whether they were strict biological offspring at all, rather than embryonic clones or some such. A few of the staff had suggested looking for a way to bring down the stasis field and recover a few of the eggs for study, but both Phlox and Captain Archer had denied permission before they'd even finished making the suggestion. Not only was such a course too risky, it was highly unethical as well. Now that they knew the alien crew was alive and in suspended animation, the morals and ethics of the situation had changed. The alien vessel was not a derelict, at least so far as they could determine, and Dauntless' crew were de facto trespassers. Power systems were active aboard the ship, antiquated as it was, and she seemed to be in good working order as far as they could determine. Captain Archer had issued strict instructions that nothing aboard the alien vessel was to be displaced or disturbed, and they were restricted to gathering data based on what they could record both visually and via the use of sensors.

Hoshi and her communications department were working on decoding the written language of the aliens, at least as it pertained to what they had seen so far. Trip desperately wanted to be able to read the ship's status displays and such, and Hoshi was doing her best to make it happen. She had started simply: by counting the fingers and toes of the aliens. They were roughly humanoid in shape, symmetrically bipedal, with two hands bearing four mutually opposable digits. That implied a base eight numerical system, and then she'd moved on to a known quantity in the form of one of the ship's spherical deuterium fuel cells. Working with Tucker, they found a full one, and another that was partially depleted, and found the quantity gauges for them. Because they could scan the internal pressure and volume of the cells, they had a basis for converting the alien units into Earth measurements for comparison. Once they had a fraction of the problem sorted out, it was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle- the more pieces that were filled in, the easier it was to fill in the remainder.

It was slow work, a bit tedious, but Hoshi and Trip hadn't had so much fun in months.

In the meantime, other crewmembers were going crazy with tricorder sensor packs, scanning and recording everything for further analysis. They now had records of all the different auxiliary craft and equipment the aliens had brought with them, their operating principles, even the fuel sources used. They were gathering data on the composition and biochemical makeup of the flora and fauna seeds that would be used to germinate the moon below when it was ready, as well as cellular scans of alien fauna, which were frozen as embryos to be gestated in vitro when the aliens were ready to transplant them. The alien ship was a time capsule of a civilization that might have perished almost in its entirety millennia before, or perhaps these people still populated their own homeworld as well, somewhere out there waiting to be discovered.

Archer found himself wondering what their history was- who they were as a people and why they had come here, beyond the obvious reasons a human would come up with. Were they explorers? Refugees of a long forgotten war? A people fleeing religious persecution, or perhaps a dying star? Or were their motivations too alien to understand? Archer didn't expect they would ever know the answers to those questions, although his distant descendants might.

"Ahh, captain! Welcome!" Phlox said warmly as Archer entered the lab. The Denobulan doctor was smiling broadly as usual, his bright blue eyes alive with the joy of research and discovery. T'Pol nodded a greeting as well- she was looking slightly more animated than usual. If Archer didn't know better, he'd have thought she was actually excited.

"How's it going, Phlox?" Archer asked, leaning around one of the technicians to sneak a look at a viewscreen. He'd briefly been over to the alien vessel himself and stood face to face with one of the aliens, separated by a thick tube of transparent aluminum.

"Relatively well, captain," Phlox replied, "although there are significant obstacles to our research. There are two parallel avenues of study we are pursuing: the physiology of the aliens themselves, and the technology they have developed for suspended animation. It's far more advanced than anything I've seen developed by any of the species participating in the Interspecies Medical Exchange."

"There were sleeper ships built on Earth, a century or so ago," Archer replied, "but I have to agree. I looked up the specs on some of the old DY series. They weren't meant for colonization or terraforming efforts, at least not on this scale. And there is no way one of those ships could maintain itself for a single millennia, let alone forty of them. We could build one now, if we wanted to, but why bother when you have warp drive, eh?"

"You might be able to build the ship itself, captain, but I doubt you could keep a crew alive that long. These people have."

Archer nodded in agreement. "No argument there, doc. So what do we know about these people?"

"Well, that's the problem," Phlox replied. "They're frozen solid. I can scan their internal organs, but they're all inert. Same for their nervous systems, and so on. We actually have to use the environmental information from the ship and the moon below to extrapolate any useful information about them at all. They are obviously methane breathers, they can tolerate oxygen, and they see in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum. Based on this, and compared to similar life forms encountered elsewhere, it's safe to say that their biochemistry is fundamentally incompatible with ours, but that's no real surprise. I can't even get a tissue sample for DNA analysis. It's actually quite frustrating," the doctor added, sounding a little put out. "If only we could revive one them…" he muttered, although it was phrased more than half as a suggestion.

"We don't understand their cryo-technology or the operation of the systems," T'Pol countered flatly. "It would be a highly illogical risk to take, and unethical as well."

"Oh I agree completely, T'Pol," Phlox replied. "It's just a shame, that's all. There's a lot we could learn from them. They either originate from or have adapted to low gravity. They're tall and rather willowy by our standards," Phlox went on, "although their muscle mass indicates that they would still be stronger than the average human. I think their skin color would be a sort of red-orange, when they were warmed up to room temperature. No hair. That, other than the fact that they are obviously sapient and intelligent, is the extent of what we're going to learn about them while they remain in cryo-stasis."

"What about the eggs?" Archer asked.

"Well, the scans were able to penetrate a little deeper in the case of those, but the down side was that there was a lot less to see. We might be able to filter out a DNA scan eventually, after we've had more time to process the data and run some computer enhancements on the readings. My personal suspicion is that they are fertilized offspring, to be brought to term in incubators when the moon below is habitable to them."

"What makes you think they're fertilized?" Archer asked.

"Two things: one, the scans seem to indicate that they are. Secondly, even without a DNA or cell-scan, my guess is that six hundred of them in stasis doesn't constitute a gene pool large enough for a viable colony. If the eggs are pre-fertilized before going into stasis, you have both the genetic variety you need and the knowledge that the embryo you are transporting is viable. I believe the human term would be something like: you know you aren't shooting a blank."

Archer guffawed aloud at that one, as did the others with the exception of T'Pol. "What about the lifeforms you sampled from the surface of the moon?"

"Definitely transplanted, captain. They match samples and bacteria we scanned aboard the ship. The moon below us is a terraforming project- no question about it. The hard thing for us to grasp is the timescale involved. They are definitely doing it the hard way, with limited resources."

"Explain," Archer asked.

"T'Pol was the one who figured it out," Phlox said, gesturing toward the Vulcan.

"There were several telltale factors, once we had some hints," she informed him. "The first was the problem of radiation coming from Addie-2. It took me a while to correlate the data, but the ring forming around the gas giant is in a plane too finely coordinated with this moon to be coincidental. When the debris field fully accretes into a ring, it is going to shield this moon from more than 90% of the radiation coming from the gas giant. That, along with the thickening of the atmosphere as the moon continues to warm, and the formation of an ozone layer when flora is introduced and becomes abundant, will make the surface safe for habitation. The aliens formed the ring themselves by moving several of the moons into the required orbits, and smashing them into one another. Commander Tucker has already cataloged the vehicles they used to accomplish the feat. Once again, the timescale employed by the aliens to achieve their goals is…daunting."

"So how long ago did all this ring engineering occur?"

"About thirty thousand years ago for the final collisions," T'Pol replied. "Attaching fusion thrusters to the various moonlets and altering their trajectories would have taken decades using this level of technology, and then maybe centuries before the finely calculated orbits brought each moonlet to the proper impact point to form the ring in the right orbital plane. The calculations are difficult but by no means impossible. What you do need is vast amounts of fusion fuel, time, and a level of patience even Vulcans could only aspire to."

"Well, not really," Archer countered. "If you freeze yourself after each phase of the project, you wake up and find time has done your work for you. This is a project we could have undertaken out of necessity- I'm relatively sure it's not the sort of thing we'd voluntarily choose to do. As for the fuel required, Addie-2 by itself has all they'll ever need."

"That isn't all," T'Pol went on. "There is no way to know for sure now, but I suspect this moon was much smaller at one time, was tidally locked with the primary, and had no atmosphere. All of these things have been engineered here. I would hypothesize that they brought several more moonlets into precisely calculated impact points, increasing the mass of the moon over time, thereby enhancing its gravitational field, and re-imparting a spin to it as well. Then, when the mass was right, they diverted comets or other sources of gas and water, smashing them into the surface to form both atmosphere and liquid oceans."

Archer was nodding now. "I see. Then sleep for another ten or twenty thousand years while things settle down, and then seed the regolith with bacteria and other organics necessary to make soil. Sleep again, and then seed flora, followed by fauna, and eventually you've created a living, breathing world for yourself."

"That is essentially correct," T'Pol agreed. "The mass we thought was missing wasn't really missing at all. It's concentrated here, below us, and out in the new ring forming around Addie-2."

Archer shook his head. "That seems like an awful lot of work. I still don't understand why they didn't just find a planet more suitable to their needs from the word go."

"They may not have been able to, for any number of reasons," T'Pol said. "An alternative is that they have motivations beyond those we would find familiar. Unfortunately, as Doctor Phlox pointed out, that is one of the things that is going to remain a mystery."

"Captain," Phlox asked, "have Lieutenant Sato or Commander Tucker had any luck deciphering their consoles? I was wondering if we might determine when they are scheduled to emerge from cryo-stasis again?"

"They've been concentrating on the engineering sections and the main control center," Archer replied. "I'll ask Hoshi to look into it, though. I wouldn't get my hopes up, doctor."

"Indeed," T'Pol added, "the likelihood of them being brought out of stasis during our lifetimes, or even the next several centuries, is negligible. We are seeing the early phase of both the ring formation around Addie-2 and the proliferation of organics through the regolith. They probably aren't scheduled to be revived for another ten or twenty thousand years, unless they emerge periodically to check their ship's systems or conduct refueling activities. They continue to expend fuel as the ship maintains its systems, but they currently have plenty. At their current low power draw, enough to last thousands of years more, at a minimum."

"That's too bad," Phlox shrugged. "If one of them were to revive, I could scan the process and see how their technology does the job. At our level of medical technology, we simply could not duplicate the feat after this much elapsed time."

"We'll learn what we can and leave them in peace," Archer said quietly. T'Pol nodded her agreement and approval. Four years ago, she wouldn't have put it past this captain and crew to attempt reviving the aliens just out of sheer curiosity. Jonathon Archer had grown in more ways than one over the course of the mission.

"Here's something else," added Doctor Phlox. "We've had the opportunity to study the soil samples from the surface quite extensively. What I've found is that there are some different bacteria, molds, spores, and the like that are actually better suited to the environment the aliens are trying to create on the surface of the moon than the ones they brought with them. I have numerous samples aboard Dauntless. If we were to introduce them to the moon before leaving, it would significantly accelerate the transformation of regolith to soil, the evolution of more advanced organics, and generally leave a more habitable environment for them than we are currently projecting will develop."

"But there is no way to predict the effects these 'non-native' forms would have on them, is there?" Archer asked.

"I would never introduce anything not biochemically compatible, captain," Phlox retorted. "There is always a slight risk, but in this case I would find it to be negligible."

"T'Pol?"

"I do not doubt the sincerity of the doctor's good intentions, but the introduction of alien organics to their terraforming project might have unforeseeable repercussions, particularly on the timescales we are dealing with. We would be unable to monitor the changes, nor would we be able to correct them if they went awry. Until the moon is sufficiently shielded from radiation, we also run the heightened risk of mutations which might evolve beyond the compatibility threshold of the flora and fauna the aliens intend to introduce to their finished environment. I would therefore advise against it."

Phlox shrugged slightly, looking a bit crestfallen. "Well, when you put it that way, it does sound a bit risky."

But as always, Archer thought to himself, the Vulcan response is to do nothing. For all their logic, it's a marvel that they ever got out of their home system! In this case, however, he was forced to agree with T'Pol. "She's right, doctor. Interfering on any level might have unintended consequences. We're going to stick to the original plan: observe, collect data, and leave well enough alone."

The whistling pitch of the bosun's pipe echoed through the lab. "Bridge to captain, urgent."

Archer snapped on the intercom. "Archer here, Travis. What's up?"

"The intruder is closing on us, captain. We're being hailed."

"Sound General Quarters. I'm on my way." Travis must have been anticipating his response, because he hadn't even stepped toward the door before the bosun's whistle echoed throughout the ship, preceding the general alarm. Elsewhere in the lab, there was a controlled explosion of activity as the team went about securing its research materials before heading for their emergency stations. "Here we go," Archer muttered tensely under his breath.

 

[Jedi Marso]

IX​

"Intruder is entering visual range," Lieutenant Ling reported before turning the science station and sensors over to T'Pol.

"Let's have a look at them," Archer said, his eyes on the viewscreen as he took his seat.

"On screen," T'Pol replied. The viewscreen shifted perspective, and they got their first real look at the sensor 'ghost' that had been plaguing them these past few days. The vessel was sleek, smaller than Dauntless, with two relatively oversized warp nacelles sticking out straight along the ship's lateral axis. She was a gunmetal grey color, and there were no distinguishing markings or other identifying marks painted on her hull. Even so, they recognized her for what she was immediately.

"Orions," muttered Mayweather, his mouth setting in a grim line.

"But will they want to talk, or raid?" Hoshi asked nobody in particular. Earth Command had only made official first contact with the Orions this year, and as chance would have it, it had been an act of attempted piracy against Dauntless herself. After some sensor scans and face to face interaction, it looked as though Earth ships had been encountering the Orions for some time, usually to the detriment of the Earth ships. The Andorians and Tellarites had more information on the Orions than Earth did, and Vulcan even more so. It was only now that Earth Command knew which questions to ask that they were starting to get information from their allies. The question that had been burning in Archer's mind since their first encounter was whether or not it had been Orion Pirates who had disabled a Rigellian vessel, captured and incapacitated the crew, and then harvested lymphocytes from their bodies. The Rigellians who came across the scene after Dauntless' arrival had thoroughly destroyed the offenders, so there was little information to go on. That ship had looked nothing like the handful of Orion vessels they had encountered since, but Archer still had nightmares about that incident. So did Hoshi.

As near as they could figure, the Orions were much like various robber barons of Earth's earlier history. They had their home planet and colonies (which no Earth ship had visited yet), an ancient culture and a strong (but cyclic) economy, yet certain families and interests among them would engage in interstellar freebooting and piracy as the mood struck them. The rumor was that the Orions had been in space longer than any known starfaring species, starting as slaves to another, long dead species, and that they hadn't actually developed the warp drive on their own. They were apparently willing to exploit less advanced cultures wherever they found them, and the evidence so far pointed to them being slave traders as well. Their ships tended to be smaller, well-armed and fast for their size, and well suited for piracy or blockade running.

Their presence here made Archer's heart sink to his boots- there was going to be trouble, one way or another. Hoshi's question was the pertinent one: were these Orions in the mood to trade or fight? Or both? "T'Pol, full scan," he ordered. "Try and ascertain their weapons status."

"Scanning," came the reply.

"We are being hailed again," Hoshi informed him. "Audio only."

"Let's hear it," Archer ordered.

"Earth ship Dauntless, this is Daren Rax, master of the Rax Xephyr. We have been monitoring your salvage activities in this system. I acknowledge your rightful claim of first salvage rights, as accepted by common interstellar practice. However, we are curious as to what you've found and whether it may be of value. We would like to meet for sessions of negotiation and possible trade. Please respond."

"Same message they sent the first time," Hoshi added.

"They are running with weapons cold, but their energy deflection shields are up," T'Pol informed them. "A logical precaution, all things considered."

"So, they possess shield technology," Archer frowned. Earth Command was working on it- a natural extension of the same technology they used for navigational deflector systems and structural integrity fields. But while it was one thing to project a forcefield to brush aside cosmic dust, solar flare radiation, and stray particles- it was quite something else to protect the ship against massive amounts of hard radiation, nuclear or tri-cobalt warhead detonations, or directed energy weapons. The technology was coming, but until it was actually in place Earth vessels would remain at a severe disadvantage in encounters like these. Archer had asked T'Pol in the past whether or not the Vulcans had shield technology, and she had flatly told him it was classified. Under normal circumstances he'd interpret that as a 'yes', but he wasn't so sure any more. The Vulcans were extremely pacifistic, and as such they were ridiculously behind Earth when it came to weapons research. All Vulcan ships were science and exploration vessels, and so lightly armed that they usually just ran away at high warp rather than engage in hostilities- usually.

"Open channel," Archer ordered. Hoshi nodded at him a moment later. "Rax Xephyr, this is Captain Archer commanding the UES Dauntless. I regret to inform you that the rules of salvage do not apply here. The alien vessel has a live crew and is fully functional. They are currently in a state of suspended animation, which is why you aren't detecting any life forms aboard her. If you wish to meet, we are willing to share our findings with you, and discuss future opportunities for trade and cultural exchange between our peoples."

"Suspended animation, you say?" Daren Rax sent. "Interesting. Captain Archer, may I inquire if it is the policy of all Earth ships to meet strangers with their weapons armed?"

"It is not," Archer replied. "However, our first encounter with your species resulted in the attempted hijack of my ship. I'm sure you can understand my caution."

"Of course, captain, of course," Rax replied smoothly. "However, that was the act of a different consortium, you understand. The House of Rax prefers to trade rather than rob and steal, captain, although I'd be lying if I said we'd never engaged in such practices. However, in my experience, you gain more at less cost by dealing honorably with potential allies in the market. Wouldn't you agree?"

Goddamn snake oil salesman! Archer thought to himself. "Of course," he replied amiably. "Allow us to host you as guests aboard Dauntless, that we may share our findings with you as a gesture of good faith toward future relations. Say, two of our hours?"

"I would be honored, Captain Archer."

"One more thing, Daren Rax," Archer said. "Please limit your party to males of your species. We are aware of the pheromonal effect your females are capable of producing. At risk of sounding rude, they aren't welcome aboard Dauntless. In addition, I warn you that any sapient being brought aboard this ship in a state of bondage or slavery will, by Earth law, be manumitted immediately upon boarding and will not be allowed to return to your ship. We do not condone slavery in any form."

"I thank you for the warning, Captain Archer," Rax replied tightly, "but I am carrying no slaves on this voyage. Two hours. I look forward to meeting you. Rax Xephyr ends communication."

"Channel closed," Hoshi said, shaking her head at her station. "That fork-tongued bastard is lying through his teeth," she added.

T'Pol looked at her curiously. "Lieutenant, you are aware that Orions do not possess bifurcated tongues-"

"It means he's a consummate liar, ma'am," Travis chipped in. "Captain, why did you tell him that the crew over there is in cryo-stasis? They'll know there's nothing to stop them from going through that ship like locusts!"

Archer was shaking his head grimly. "Damn it!" he swore under his breath. "Why did it have to be Orions? Travis, I wouldn't have been able to hide it from him forever. Their sensors are better than ours, for starters, and how are we going to stop them from boarding her? Short of directly engaging them in combat, that is," he added.

"There is that option, captain," Reed suggested.

Archer turned on him angrily. "On what basis, commander? Our general orders are quite specific: Earth vessels are strictly prohibited from initiating hostilities against alien vessels. How would I justify attacking this Orion vessel to Earth Command? We've already got one definitely hostile species out there gunning for us already! Are we going to make it two?"

"Captain," T'Pol interrupted, "the Orion vessel is conducting a full, close range sensor scan of the alien colony ship."

"Wonderful," Archer groused. "T'Pol, make a detailed, full sensor scan of the Orion ship. Commander Reed, you will make a detailed tactical analysis of their potential abilities. Coordinate with Commander Tucker. In the meantime depower the weapons, but maintain condition one until further notice. I don't trust this Daren Rax one bit- I was born at night, but not last night. He's going to learn what he can, feel us out, and then make a play. The only question is whether it will be for the colony ship, us, or both. The only thing I'm sure of is that he's up to no good."

T'Pol looked up from her scan. "Captain, on what basis are you drawing these conclusions?"

"Instinct," Archer replied.

"Emotion," T'Pol countered. "Your judgement is clouded by our last meeting with Orion pirates. It is possible that Daren Rax wishes to negotiate in good faith."

"T'Pol, even you can't be that naive. Do you think for one minute that after we explain the full situation to him, he's just going to turn around and leave? He'll want to know as badly as we do how their cryo-stasis technology works, as well as anything else they can find and exploit. Hell, there's nothing stopping them from towing that whole ship out of here after we're gone!"

"You're right, there's nothing stopping them," T'Pol agreed in an infuriatingly calm manner. "As you stated, your contact orders are clear. It is an unfortunate situation."

"So you think we should do nothing?" Archer asked.

"I think your first priority is to- captain," she added uncomfortably, "can we continue this conversation in private?"

"My ready room," Archer replied. "Malcolm, you have the conn. Hoshi, see to finishing up that scan."

"Aye aye, sir," they replied in subdued voices.

"Oh," Archer said over his shoulder. "Malcolm, have services division start prepping the mess deck for a reception. Tell chef to whip up something exotic, and set up some flat screens so we can entertain our guests with what we've found. It'll be interesting to see how they react."

"Consider it done, sir," Reed replied.

Once they were behind closed doors, Archer fought his rising temper and stepped around behind his desk, resisting the urge to get into T'Pol's face and raise his voice. "Now, sev'utlam. You were saying?" he asked in tightly controlled anger.

"I was going to say, captain, that your first priority should be to follow your mission orders. I was going to add that I see a familiar trait of yours about to manifest itself: your latent human desire to shape events according to your moral code. This unfortunate tendency of yours to interfere in the affairs of others has already caused you, this ship, and your planet significant hardship. I can see you contemplating the same action again. Captain, there are just some things in the universe that you can't...make right. This situation is one of them."

"In this case, we must!" Archer barked. "Has it occurred to you that the Orions are here because we're here? We led them here, T'Pol! It's our fault! That ship has been sitting undisturbed for over forty thousand years! It's not as if the Orions just stumbled on it by chance. My God, do you realize what we've done? Those aliens, whoever they are, are finished! Unless I find some way of stopping Daren Rax from either reviving them, killing them in the attempt, or simply dismantling their ship around them looking for a profit."

T'Pol shook her head. "You aren't looking at the situation logical-"

"Damn your logic!" Archer shouted.

"-ly," T'Pol finished. "To use one of your human terms, captain, 'the genie is out of the bottle'. Unless you propose placing an Earth ship here as a permanent sentry, the Orions will come back. Even if you convince them to leave today, they'll spread the word of this find to others. Someone will come, Orions or otherwise, and there is nothing that can stop that from happening now."

Jonathon Archer looked to be on the verge of tears. "Those people," he said helplessly, referring to the frozen terraformers. "I can't let this happen to them. I just can't."

T'Pol's reply was cold and unforgiving. "This is the price of your human curiosity."

"So what do I do?" Archer asked.

"Make the best of it. We may well end up reviving the crew of the colony ship ourselves, with the help of the Orions. It is possible that the aliens themselves would look on this favorably once it was done. They would have the opportunity to negotiate with the Orions for warp drive technology, perhaps in exchange for their cryo-technology. Or you could negotiate the same for Earth."

"That just doesn't seem right," Archer replied. "We don't have the right to interfere with them."

"We have already interfered," T'Pol reminded him.

"No, we haven't!" Archer argued. "We've gathered information, made scans, and that's all! There would have been no trace of us left when they came out of stasis."

"Illogical," T'Pol snapped. "We still don't understand the full function of most of their systems. Our presence may have been recorded any number of ways we aren't and can't be aware of. Their ship's systems automatically responded to our presence, increasing power levels to turn on lights and displays, and increasing atmospheric temperature and pressure, as I'm sure you read in Commander Tucker's report. We have most definitely interfered, captain, and unless the aliens are supremely inept, they will know they've been at least looked over by an unknown entity when they revive."

"Maybe so, but none of it would interfere with their colonization plans," Archer replied.

"Another assumption with no logical premise," T'Pol replied. "Look at the myriad of religions and spiritual belief sets in your world's past. How do you know that we haven't violated some sacred taboo of theirs? Our mere presence may be considered a defilement, or you may be correct and they might not care at all. The point is, once again, we don't know and can't know."

"Where were all these arguments before we decided to investigate the ship?"

T'Pol cocked an eyebrow. "We didn't know about the crew until we went aboard," she replied. "At that point, the damage was essentially done. This is why Vulcan ships handle these sorts of encounters by different rules-"

"Okay, now we're revisiting old arguments," Archer cut her off. "We don't have time to get into another debate about our different methodologies of exploration."

The intercom whistled for his attention, and he snapped it on. "It's Malcolm, captain," Reed reported. "The Orion ship is launching a shuttle. It looks as though they intend to board the colony ship."

"It would appear Daren Rax isn't going to wait to hear about our findings," T'Pol said. "What do you intend to do?"

Archer's face reddened. "I'm about to cause an interstellar incident," he snarled, heading for the doors. A moment later he was back on the bridge. "Hoshi, open a channel to the Orion."

"Channel open."

"This is Captain Archer calling Daren Rax. Sir, when you arrived you acknowledged our right of first salvage. I am therefore asking you to recall your boarding party."

There was a slight pause before the reply came back. "Captain, my boarding party is just going over for an examination, not to disturb any, ah, artifacts. Besides, you said yourself that salvage rights do not apply here. We have as much right to board that vessel as you do."

"Sir, as a gesture of good will, I ask that you recall your boarding party at least until we have met to negotiate."

"How am I supposed to know on what grounds we negotiate, unless I've examined the vessel myself?"

Archer shifted uncomfortably, biting his lip. At that moment, one could have heard a pin drop on the bridge, and the eyes of his crew were on him. Finally, his face hardened in resolve. "Captain Rax, you are forcing me to an impasse. I will not allow you to board that ship until we've met face to face. There are factors here to consider besides commerce and profit." He turned to Reed. "Malcolm, arm all weapons systems."

"Aye aye, sir," came the stunned reply. Hoshi's eyes widened at her station, while Travis nodded grimly from the helm.

Rax sounded surprisingly calm. "You would fire on my shuttle, Captain Archer?"

"If she continues to close with the colony ship, I'll destroy her. This is your final warning," Archer replied sternly. "You have an opportunity here to make a friend or an enemy for your people, Rax. All I'm asking is that you wait. Decide now."

"Very well, Captain Archer," Rax replied without much hesitation. "I will recall my ship. But I warn you, I don't take kindly to threats and coercion. Your actions will be remembered at the negotiating table, captain. You've also given me reason to suspect there is more here than meets the eye. I look forward to your…explanation. Rax out."

"The shuttle?" Archer asked.

T'Pol had moved back to her station. "She is aborting her flight and returning to the Rax Xephyr," captain.

"Stand down weapons, maintain condition one," Archer ordered. At communications, Hoshi noisily blew out the breath she'd been holding in relief.

Reed was grinning from ear to ear. "Nicely played, sir!" he beamed.

"That was one hell of a bluff," Travis agreed.

Archer's face was a stone mask. "It wasn't a bluff," he replied grimly. "Malcolm, you have the conn," he added, before leaving the bridge under a dark cloud.

 

[Jedi Marso]

X​

Archer looked around the mess hall appraisingly. Chef and his staff had decked it out pretty colorfully, and there was a large buffet table put together on the bulkhead underneath the viewports, loaded with a large variety of fruits, vegetables, and other delicacies he'd put together on short notice. Chef had also warned the captain that until he could harvest the next batch from his small hydroponic garden, this was the bulk of their remaining store of fresh fruits and veggies. The ambassador and his staff had made quite a dent in their supplies before they'd been dropped off at the Andorian homeworld, and it had been a long trip outbound since then. All in all, Archer had to admit it was a pretty meager offering compared to the opulent spread the other Orions had put on before attempting to hijack Dauntless. He wondered whether or not Daren Rax might find the relatively sparse offering offensive in some way, then decided petulantly that he didn't give a damn one way or the other. The senior staff were assembled around the center table, ready for his briefing. Trip was looking wistfully at the buffet table, but he knew it would have to wait until their guests arrived.

"I wanted to have a pre-briefing before the Orions come over," Archer explained, "to make sure we're all on the same page here. First of all, we are going to be openly honest with them about what we've discovered. I've already given Rax reason to believe that we're hiding something, but unfortunately the only alternative was unacceptable to me. Bear in mind that their sensors are almost certainly better than ours, and it wouldn't take much investigating for them to learn the same things we have, so we don't lose anything by being up front. Our goal here is to convince the Orions to leave this ship and its crew alone, but I don't pretend to guess how successful we're going to be at it. Their interest about the colony ship is definitely up, and I think it's going to be the central issue in this meeting.

"That being said, this is only our third face to face encounter with these people, and you all remember very well how the first two went. Be polite, be friendly, but be cautious. They are going to want to learn about us just as much as we want to learn about them, so take this opportunity and make the most of it. However, there is not going to be a repeat of the last time. Orion access to the ship will be limited to this room and the corridors leading from here to the docking port, and that's it. Any questions so far?"

"Yes sir. What If they ask for Earth's coordinates?" Travis wanted to know.

"Tell them that they cannot be divulged for security reasons. In fact," Archer added with some animation, "if that comes up and you refuse, try an offhand reference to these bird-ships that have proven so hostile as our reason for secrecy. Maybe they'll let something slip about them."

"What if they want to trade for clothing items or personal equipment on an individual basis?" Hoshi asked.

"Clothing items are at your discretion, but I'll need to approve any technology exchanges. Hoshi, if things get informal, try and isolate one or two of them and start building a translation matrix on them. A new language for you to study," he grinned. Hoshi nodded. "Any more questions?"

"One, captain," T'Pol interjected. "Aren't you going to meet Rax at the umbilical?"

"I don't think so," Archer replied quietly. "So far he hasn't impressed me, and I sort of want him to understand it. We'll receive them in here."

"Understood."

There were no other questions, so Archer called the bridge. "Lieutenant Ling, status of the Orion party?"

"They just departed their ship and are en-route," she replied. "They are requesting permission to dock."

"Permission granted. Are the guards posted at the airlock?"

"Yes, captain."

"Very well. Maintain vigilance up there and inform me if any other vessels depart the Orion mothership."

"Aye aye, captain. Bridge out." Hoshi stood up- she had been designated their official 'greeter'. Archer nodded at her, and she took a deep breath and straightened her uniform before heading for the main airlock.

When she came back in several minutes later, the Dauntless crewmembers were taken aback. Daren Rax looked very little like the Orion they had encountered earlier in the year, and in a very fundamental way: he wasn't green. Instead, he was sort of a ruddy color, with a skin tone that looked almost human except for a slight tint of orange. In fact, if one imagined a porcine nose on him and made his eyes beadier, he could have passed for a Tellarite in terms of his coloring. Of course Daren Rax was no Tellarite- he was exceptionally handsome even by Terran standards, with conservatively cut jet black hair and piercing grey eyes. He was dressed smartly, in a vaguely red-orange outfit with a dark, leather-looking vest that covered his shoulders (enhancing their broadness, of course) and tapering all the way down to his slender waist. He looked remarkably human, as a matter of fact. Put him in a business suit and land him in one of the financial districts on Earth, and he could have passed for a stock broker.

The last Orion Archer had seen had been as green as a head of lettuce, bald, and uglier than sin. It was quite a striking difference.

"Captain," Rax spoke through a flawless translating device, "a pleasure to meet you at last. Daren Rax, ranking member of the Rax Consortium, and Master of the Rax Xephyr." As he spoke, his manner was all smiles and charm. If there were any lingering hard feelings about the standoff earlier, they were apparently forgiven and forgotten. At least, that was the attitude he projected.

"Jonathon Archer, captain of the UES Dauntless. Allow me to introduce my senior officers," he added, gesturing to each one in turn. "I believe you've already met Lieutenant Sato. Sev'utlam T'Pol of Vulcan, my science officer, Commander Charles Tucker, my exec and chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Malcom Reed, and Lieutenant Travis Mayweather."

"An honor," Daren Rax replied with convincing sincerity. "Allow me to introduce my second, Chram Rax," he added, gesturing to a slightly larger Orion who looked similar to Daren in his physique and coloring. He wore his hair much longer, however, and there was a bit of a rakish air about him. He grinned broadly and bowed. "The three others in my party are members of my crew," he added. "Lahn Oleg, Krem Javisk, and Varnon Coltan," he added, gesturing to the three in turn. Oleg was similar to the first two in appearance, but they noticed immediately that Javisk and Coltan were not. Coltan was as green as they remembered the first bunch of Orions being, while Javisk was something in between. His coloring was a pale blue-green mix, almost aqua, and if his hair had been white instead of black, he might have been able to pass for an Andorian with some antennae and a more volatile demeanor. Coltan, the green Orion, was conspicuously bald. All of them were dressed similarly, although the clothes of Daren and Chram were clearly of a finer material and cut. Archer stopped for a moment and considered the differences in appearance between himself, Sato, and Mayweather, and concluded that his surprise was out of place- they'd just learned something new about the Orions, was all.

With the introductions completed, Archer invited them all to make themselves comfortable. He snapped his fingers flamboyantly (a pre-arranged signal), and a soft ensemble of jazz music suddenly came over the mess hall speakers. The Orions were immediately intrigued by what they heard, and conversation waited for a few minutes as they listened in appreciative silence, their heads cocked slightly. Food was served, and the humans noted carefully that Daren and Chram didn't serve themselves- they were served in turn by their three crewmen, who then served themselves and took their seats. The mess stewards served the human officers and T'Pol, although the Orions did allow the humans to charge their glasses.

Chram turned a slightly hungry gaze on Hoshi Sato as everyone nibbled at their food and listened to the music. "Do you dance?" he asked her rather bluntly after running an appraising gaze up and down her body. His leer left little to the imagination.

"No," she replied just as curtly, then took a sip of iced tea to cover her infuriated blush. None of the Orions spared T'Pol a second glance, which Archer found interesting and a little curious.

"We have no, uh, live entertainers on board," Doctor Phlox explained politely to the Orions. "The crew derives its recreation from stored media, such as the music you are enjoying now."

"It is pleasant," Chram Rax agreed, "but there is a certain verve to live entertainment, is there not?" he asked, his eyes straying to Hoshi's bust line again.

"Perhaps you'd be interested in hearing about some of what we've found here," Captain Archer asked a moment later, attempting to spare Hoshi further discomfort. Daren Rax perked up visibly at the offer.

"Indeed. Please proceed, captain," he urged.

Hoshi activated the viewscreens, and Archer let the flow of information take on the form of a briefing, with each of his senior staff presenting the information relevant to their departments. The Orions paid rapt attention, asking pointed questions here and there, but betraying no surprise at any of the information presented. To judge by their demeanors and expressions, they might have run across forty-three thousand year old colony ships every day, complete with crews in suspended animation. The entire presentation lasted two and a half hours, during which time most of the contents of the buffet and a large quantity of beverages were consumed. One thing they re-affirmed about the Orions was their complete willingness to mix business and pleasure.

At the end of the presentation Captain Archer held up several data-storage cards, before setting them on the table and sliding them across to Daren Rax like a pot of poker chips. "What is this?" Daren asked pleasantly, a broad smile crossing his features.

"This is everything we've just shown you, along with the pertinent technical details," he replied.

"You surely don't offer this information freely," Daren replied, cocking his head in a deliberately coy manner. "You want something in return, and you have more than gone out of your way to make sure I don't board that ship. What is it you want? Or should I be asking what it is you don't want me to discover?"

Archer's tone became serious. "You and I come from different cultures, with different values," he said directly. "Even so, I would like to think that we are more alike than we are different. These people, whoever they are, came here long before my people looked at the night sky and saw anything other than their myths brought to life in the stellar constellations. These aliens set about building an entire world for themselves, and based on our study it will be several more tens of thousands of years before they are finished. What I…value…as you put it, is to honor their effort. I cannot speak for you, but there is nothing technological aboard that vessel that interests us except their cryo-stasis technology. However, studying it physically would mean putting their entire endeavor in jeopardy, to include their lives. I'm not willing to do that for the sake of economic gain or even scientific discovery. So, what I want is for you to accept the information I've given you at face value, and agree to leave the ship and its crew undisturbed. If you think I have something to hide, I am willing to have my people escort yours through the ship to facilitate you making your own scans. I don't expect you to take me at my word. However, for ethical reasons, it is imperative that the contents of the ship remain undisturbed, as well as her crew.

"Beyond that, we are willing to make your voyage a profitable one. I suspect that we have little that would interest you technologically. However, you appeared to enjoy our music, and we have countless thousands of hours of it in our library data banks. There is also literature, art, recreational games which you may never have seen, and recordings of a multitude of sporting events that take place to foster competition and entertainment on our world. These are examples of items we would be willing to trade, either for information or like items from you, if you're willing."

Daren Rax looked thoughtful. "And if I decide I wish to board the colony ship myself?" he asked.

"In truth, I cannot stop you from doing so. However, that is the price of my offer. If you refuse to leave the vessel undisturbed, there will be no further exchanges of goods or information between us. What's more, my report to Earth Command will negatively impact relations between our respective peoples in the future."

Daren Rax nodded. "You've given me much to think upon, Captain Archer." He took up the data cards and handed them wordlessly to Chram Rax. "May I have some time to consider your offer? Of course, until I answer, I give you my word I will not attempt boarding the colony ship."

"Of course," Archer replied. "We'll await your response."

"You'll have it soon. Thank you for your hospitality, captain. When we meet again, I'd like to extend you an offer to come aboard my ship and experience ours. We don't want to...tax yours any further," he added, glancing around the mess hall and the picked-over buffet with just a hint of disdain.

Archer bowed slightly, and turned to Mayweather. "Lieutenant, please escort our guests to their shuttle."

"Aye aye, captain," he replied with a wry grin. Both of them noticed Hoshi's sigh of relief.

 

[Jedi Marso]

XI​

A day and a half later, Captain Archer stepped off Shuttlepod One wishing his head wasn't buzzing quite so hard. For a ship as small as the Rax Xephyr, Daren Rax could certainly serve up some major entertainment. There had been wine, spirits, exotic foods from a dozen worlds, as well as live music played by members of his crew and artwork from a multitude of alien cultures, ranging from simple paintings and hangings to exotic crystal lattice sculptures and light patterns contained within globes of some strange, translucent material. All in all, it had been quite hedonistic and mind boggling at the same time. Daren Rax had been a dazzling host, and under just about any other circumstances Captain Archer would have been completely won over. Here at Addie-2, however, he just couldn't shake the feeling that the Orion was playing him for a fool.

"'Scuse me, boss," Travis slurred slightly, as he bumped hard into his captain in an attempt to get past him. Doctor Phlox was right behind him, looking a little glassy-eyed but still quite sober nonetheless.

"Get thee to sickbay, lieutenant," Phlox instructed him. "You as well, captain. I took the liberty of milking my Haradoan eel for a few milligrams of its bile before we headed over there. Combined with a healthy dose of triox, it will neutralize the ethanol in your bloodstreams and prevent any ill effects from what your bodies have already metabolized."

"Well what about me, doc?" Trip asked.

Phlox looked at him appraisingly. "You're already sober, commander. If you weren't, I wouldn't have let you behind the controls of the shuttlepod."

Trip shrugged, beaming from ear to ear. "Someone had to be designated driver. I'm headed for engineering. See you at dinner?"

"Of course," Phlox smiled. "Gentlemen, if you'll follow me?"

T'Pol was waiting for them in sickbay. "Captain," she said by way of greeting as the three of them entered. "Did Daren give you his response?"

"He shure did," Travis said gravely. He stumbled sideways a step, catching himself on the edge of one of the beds.

"Easy there, Mister Mayweather," Phlox called from his lab bench. He already had a hypo out, and was mixing eel bile with triox compound.

"So it did not go well?" T'Pol asked, looking plainly puzzled. Judging by Captain Archer and Lieutenant Mayweathers' appearance, things would have seemed to have gone very well.

"Oh, it went grand!" Archer said sarcastically. "Daren promised us the world. He said he was satisfied with the scans his own people took yesterday when we escorted them through the ship. He also said that fostering relations with Earth, a warp capable culture, was far more important than poring over a forty millennia old artifact."

"Logical," T'Pol noted approvingly.

"He wined us, dined us-"

"-Sixty nined us!" Travis interjected with a near-hysterical giggle. A moment later, Doctor Phlox hit him with the hypo, and his expression changed rapidly as the compound went straight into his bloodstream.

"I'm not familiar with the last reference-" T'Pol started to say.

"Nevermind, ma'am," Travis said quickly, waving a hand dismissively. "Sorry to interrupt, captain."

"As I was saying," Archer said with a stern look at Mayweather, "he basically agreed to all of my requests. We gave them about a thousand hours worth of mixed jazz and classical music, and they gave us some information on themselves, as well as a partial translation matrix and the name of the race we've been having these hostile encounters with."

"Indeed?" T'Pol asked, genuinely intrigued. Phlox hit Archer with a dose from the hypo, and he blinked suddenly as the buzzing in his head seemed to fade away. His cells got a temporary boost of oxygenation, leaving him feeling very awake.

"Yep," Archer replied. "Apparently they call themselves the Rihannsu, but when you run it through the translator it comes out as 'Romulan', for some strange reason. The Orions don't know much about them either, except to say that their hostile behavior is generally directed at everyone they meet, not just us humans. Which isn't much comfort, I might add. Apparently the Orion home system is a lot closer to these Romulans than we are, and the Orions give them a wide berth. According to Daren, none of his people have ever met one of these Romulans face to face. They must be a rather xenophobic bunch."

"This is valuable data," T'Pol said seriously. "How much of their language did we…purchase?"

"We'll have to wait until Hoshi has a chance to analyze it, but it doesn't really matter. If the Orion translation matrix is any good, our own translator should have a relatively easy time interpreting the balance of their language, when next we meet. It can't be anything but useful to be able to communicate with them, when the time comes."

"Agreed," T'Pol replied hesitantly. "You look distressed, captain. It sounds as though your negotiation with Daren was a resounding success."

Archer shook his head, chuckling. "T'Pol, one of these days Trip and I are going to sit you down and teach you an old Earth game called poker. All of this was a big blind- Daren Rax isn't going anywhere. Oh he'll leave, all right, you can count on that, but he'll be back as soon as he's satisfied that we're gone. And when he does, he's going to either revive that crew or strip that ship down to nothing while he steals that cryo-stasis technology. He's a smooth talking son of a bitch, that one. Tells you everything you want to hear, and in a way that makes you really want to believe him- the type that can steal the clothes off your back and then sell them back to you when you start feeling cold."

"Charisma," Travis grunted. "He's got charisma, plain and simple. You can't help but like the guy."

Archer nodded. "Not only that, he's given me ample incentive not to fight him over it. He's sharp, that one. He either knows or at least suspects that we're having trouble with these…Romulans. He's given us what amounts to extremely important intelligence data on their language and their general whereabouts, based on what we know of where the Orion home system is located. We need to get into open space where we can send a clear signal and get this information back to Earth Command, and he knows it. He knows he's won, and he's too self-serving not to take advantage. Let's face it: art and music are great, but they pale next to a cryo-stasis system that will keep a humanoid alive in suspended animation for tens of thousands of years. No matter how weak the aliens are technologically in every other area, they hit it out of the ball park with that one."

"So what do you intend to do about it?" T'Pol asked.

Archer's face grew angry. "Doesn't seem to be a helluva lot I can do, does there?"

"He did give you his word," T'Pol reminded him.

Archer shook his head. "Among your people and mine, that means something. Among his, that's a matter of simple expedience. At least that's my read on these Orions."

"Were any of their females aboard the Rax Xephyr?" T'Pol asked.

"Not that we saw," Phlox replied, "and I'm happy to report that is one mystery about these Orions that we've cleared up. Harrad-Sur, the green Orion we met last year, was lying. The girls that came aboard Dauntless were indeed slaves, and he himself was a slave. The truth is that we never saw the real captain of their vessel. The green Orions are the lowest caste in their society, according to Daren Rax. Apparently their own history as slaves makes them the best slavemasters, as we've seen evidence of elsewhere. He seemed rather…insulted at the idea what one of his people would allow a green, male or female, to masquerade as a ship's captain. When we mentioned Harrad-Sur's ties to the Orion Syndicate, he seemed to lose interest in that line of the conversation rather quickly."

"Touched a nerve, definitely," Travis nodded. "They are obviously a race with complicated social dynamics."

"One of Rax's crew, Coltan, was a green," T'Pol said.

Phlox, Archer, and Mayweather exchanged wary glances. "Yeah, and there were a few others over there as well. They appeared to be part of the crew in this case, but there were some inconsistencies in the way they were treated by the others, and the way they behaved around the Orions like Rax."

"Do you believe they were slaves?" T'Pol asked.

"If they were, it's a different take on slavery than the stereotype we're familiar with," Archer replied thoughtfully. "We're going to have to research this carefully. I'm beginning to think that either slavery or indentured servitude is something built into their culture at its roots, and that among the Orions it's not necessarily shameful or even necessarily undesirable to be a slave. An alien notion to us, yes, but despite their remarkably terrestrial appearance they are an alien species, and we'd better remember it in our dealings with them."

"It is plausible," T'Pol reflected, "if any of the speculation about Orion origins is to be believed. Some accounts describe them as a slave race in antiquity, held in bondage by a mythical species with a godlike technology at their disposal. Such a racial history would logically take one of two courses over time: either a violent abhorrence of slavery as a cultural institution, or acceptance of it as a natural order. Based on the little empirical evidence we have it would appear to be the latter."

"All that makes for a fascinating case study," Travis pointed out, "but what about the aliens on the colony ship?"

"I think we've done all we can do," T'Pol reasoned.

Archer shook his head. "I'm still mulling that one over," he replied. "Travis, get to your quarters and get some rest. You're on duty in four hours and I need you sharp. I think I'm going to do the same. T'Pol, take the bridge for the time being. Alert me immediately if the Orion ship warps out. I expect he probably will before too long."

"Yes captain," she replied.

 

[Jedi Marso]

XII​

T'Pol was still on the bridge when Archer turned up five hours later, feeling none the worse for wear. He was leery of Doctor Phlox's biologically based remedies at times but he had to admit they were effective. There had only been one interruption in his short rest: about two hours before, T'Pol had called and informed him that the Rax Xephyr had warped out-system. Archer slid into his chair as T'Pol resumed the science station. She was already accessing the scanner hood, anticipating the captain's first question before he even uttered it. "We show clear of contacts all the way out to the edge of the range of our sensor relays," she informed him. "The Orions have departed."

"For now," Travis muttered from the helm.

Archer nodded grimly. "Travis, plot a course clear of this system, maximum warp. Hoshi, let me know when we're far enough out to send a clean subspace message to UESPA Command."

"Aye aye, sir," Hoshi replied.

"Course laid in, captain," Travis informed him.

"Break orbit," Archer ordered. "Steady as she goes."

"Steady as she goes, aye," Mayweather replied.

Archer turned to Hoshi. "Put all the information we've obtained into a message packet, and include the log entries from all departments since our last housekeeping transmission. Send it as soon as you are positive Earth Command will receive it, and not before. In addition, send it to the Earth embassy on Andor, for relay to Earth Command as a backup measure. T'Pol, are the data feeds on the sensor relays still functioning?"

"They are," she replied.

"Very well. Inform me immediately if they detect any vessels. Lieutenant Mayweather, you have the conn. Malcolm, you're with me. Hoshi, please call Commander Tucker and ask him to join us in the armory."

"Aye aye, sir," Hoshi replied.

"May I ask what you are planning?" T'Pol said guardedly.

"Just a little tactics roundtable," Archer replied with a dark smile. "As a precaution. Mind the sensors," he added with just a touch of condescension. T'Pol's only response was a slightly raised eyebrow that bespoke a thousand words of disapproval.

Archer and Reed made their way to the armory, where Trip was already waiting for them. "Gentlemen," Archer said without preamble, "I called you here for one reason: a tactical analysis of the Orion ship, it's capabilities, and to determine what it would take on our part to destroy her. Malcolm, I presume you've been studying the matter since our first sensor scan of the Rax Xephyr, correct?"

"That I have, sir."

"Tactical analysis."

"You aren't going to like it, captain," Reed said after a heavy breath. "In order to have a fighting chance, we would almost certainly have to fire first. She has energy shielding, so it will take a good long while for our laser batteries to cut through. You can forget the rail guns- her shielding will shunt aside kinetic weapons with no difficulty. So all that leaves us is the accelerator cannon, using tri-cobalt warheads. Based on our scans of her energy output, I estimate that one or two of those in rapid succession will have their shields down pretty quickly, at which time we could engage with the laser batteries and the rail guns."

"Yeah," Trip grumbled, "but in the meantime she's shredding us with her own weapons, against which we have no shielding. It's not that I don't think we can take her, captain," he added with a pointed look at Archer. "It's just that I'm not sure we can get home with the damage she's sure to rain on us in return."

"What sort of weapons is she packing?" Archer asked.

"Her primary energy weapons are high energy disruptors," Reed explained. "They operation on a different principle than our weapons: they basically set up a destructive, vibratory resonance at the point of contact. They'll be hell on the hull, and I don't even want to think about what they'll do to the engine nacelles if they target those. We can expect hull breaches wherever they hit us, after several seconds exposure. I suspect she has some form of high explosive missile weapon as well, similar to our accelerator cannon, probably mounted fore and aft if she's designed as a privateer. The good news is that she's not very big, and although she's overpowered for her size, I don't think they can match our power levels. If we fire first and lay it on thick, we have a good chance. If we knock their shields down fast enough, we can put some kinetic lances through her bridge and crew compartments, and vent her to space."

"Trip?" Archer asked. "Anything to add?"

"Not really, sir. Malcolm is the tactical expert," he conceded, sounding troubled. "I guess my question is whether you're really willing to violate standing UESPA orders and initiate hostilities. That's a pretty big deal, captain. You could lose Dauntless and face a general court."

Archer nodded. "I know. And by even having this discussion, I'm technically giving either of you the grounds to relieve me of command on that basis. So before we go any farther, I have to know whether or not I have your support on this. I do not intend to allow the Orions to pillage that colony ship. If Daren Rax comes back, I'm going to kill him- and that means destroying his entire ship and crew as well. I'm going to rationalize it in my report as a response to piracy, and hope for the best. But if either of you don't back me on this, I need to know now."

Reed and Tucker exchanged worried glances, but neither man really hesitated at all. "We're with you, captain," Trip replied. "I don't like the idea of the Orions messing with that sleeper ship any more than you do. I guess we'll all go down together."

"Agreed," Reed added.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, gentleman- there is an outside chance that Daren Rax will head home. Let's get back to the bridge and get Travis in the loop. If we're going to have a fighting chance against the Rax Xephyr, we all need to be on the same page. Let's not go in swinging blindly- we need to execute this with some coordination if it's going to work."

Once they were back on the bridge, Archer announced his intentions to engage the Orions if they returned. He acknowledged that technically it was a violation of UESPA directives to do so, but that he felt that under the circumstances it was necessary if they were to preserve the lives and property of the aliens in cryo-stasis around AD-IIE-b. He indicated that anyone who wished to could log a protest, and if their objections were extreme, they could be relieved of duty for the duration. There was a lot of worry on the faces around the bridge, but nobody voiced any objections except for T'Pol. As expected, the Vulcan officer was vehemently opposed to this turn of events.

"Captain Archer," she said coldly, standing at her station, "your own regulations require that I remind you that this is a direct violation of UESPA directives. Not only do I object, I respectfully demand that you reconsider this course of action!"

"The decision has been made, sev'utlam," Archer responded evenly. "You and I have already had this discussion, and I've made my decision. Your objections are noted and logged, T'Pol. I'm sorry- I know this isn't the Vulcan way."

"Captain! You can't do this!" she said intensely.

"I can't ask you to participate in this seeing that you feel so strongly about it. You are relieved," Archer said quietly. "Hoshi, have Lieutenant J.G. Ling report to the bridge immediately."

"Aye aye, sir," Hoshi replied firmly.

"Sev'utlam T'Pol, you are relieved of all duties until futher notice. That will be all."

T'Pol seemed to deflate slightly before their eyes, but then her back straightened, and the coldest air of Vulcan dignity they had ever seen seemed to shroud her like a cloak. "Very well," she said coldly, and turned her back on them. A moment later she was gone, and a few minutes later Lieutenant Ling was seated at the science station.

Archer shivered unconsciously in the wake of T'Pol's departure. He sensed that their relationship had just crossed a boundary into new territory, and that no matter how this turned out, things would never be quite the same between them again. As far as they had come together, there were still many fundamental differences between human and Vulcan philosophies. It was Archer's fault that the Orions knew about the colony ship; by his own reasoning, he was responsible for leaving them safe and in peace. It seemed logical enough to him- but it troubled him that he couldn't convince T'Pol to see it the same way. Or maybe she did, and simply thought that violence wasn't the solution. Having read some of Surak's writings, Archer felt sure that a Vulcan crew would have let the Orions have the colony ship before getting into a fight over it. Jonathon Archer was human, and cast from a different mold.

He wondered briefly what Caesar had felt when he'd crossed the Rubicon.

 

[Jedi Marso]

XIII​

The wait was shorter than Archer anticipated- less than 48 hours. He was dozing fitfully in his quarters when the call came. He snapped on the intercom. "This is the captain."

"Lieutenant Ling, captain. Sensor relay 3 has picked up a contact, closing with the colony ship. Preliminary readings indicate that it's either the Orion ship or one of similar mass and energy output."

"Figure the odds," Archer retorted dryly. "I'll be right there; captain out." He snapped off the intercom and swung his legs over the edge of his bunk, setting his bare feet on the cool metal deck plates. He put his head in his hands for a moment, and thought about his life's path. Other than seeing his father’s life’s work come to fruition, this ship and her mission was all he had ever wanted out of life. But somewhere along the way interstellar space had turned out to be a lot colder, a lot more hostile than any of them had ever imagined it would be. Had things really degraded so far that he felt the need to initiate combat with an alien starship? They were an alien species, after all, with their own moral code and their own set of rules. Wasn't this the very sort of thing that he had ripped Trip for when he had caused that alien cogenitor to suicide? But what about the terraformers, suspended in blissful ignorance aboard their colony vessel? Didn't they have the right to complete their task unmolested? Archer thought they did. He shook his head grimly and reached for his uniform. As he did so, the part of him that agreed with T'Pol and her philosophy died a little bit inside him. He realized that some part of him had known it would come to this from the moment he learned it was the Orions they were dealing with here. After being forced to purchase members of his own abducted crew out of an Orion slave market once upon a time, he had never really believed Daren Rax was anything other than a deceitful liar.

Archer strolled onto the bridge less than five minutes later and took the center seat. All eyes were on him expectantly, and you could have heard a pin drop. "Lieutenant Sato, sound General Quarters. Set condition one throughout the ship."

"Sound General Quarters, aye aye," she replied. The shrill note of the bosun's whistle sounded throughout Dauntless, and then the alarm klaxon followed. Hoshi turned it off on the bridge speakers after about two whoops.

"Travis, plot an intercept that will bring us in behind the moon's sensor shadow, best speed at each waypoint. Lay in the course and engage when ready. I don't want them to see us until the last possible moment."

"Aye aye, sir."

"Malcolm, begin making the preparations we talked about. To the greatest extent possible, move non-essential personnel away from space-adjacent bulkheads. Critical personnel in said areas are to don pressure suits and tethers immediately. Once all decks signal ready, reduce pressure in outer compartments to 40 percent standard."

"Orders have been relayed, captain," Reed reported. "Shall I energize the main laser batteries?"

"Not just yet," Archer replied. "They may have sensor relays of their own out there that we can't detect- there's no guarantee they won't see us coming. If they do, let them think we want to talk first. If they know anything about us at all, they'll be expecting that. Load the accelerator cannon, and be ready to arm and fire on my command. If we catch them with shields down, target their power core. Load the forward rail gun batteries and then put them in standby- again, to lull them. Once we fire the first shot, bring it all online and stand by for firing orders."

"Very good, sir," Reed replied.

"Captain," Hoshi reported, "All decks report condition one, except as modified by your orders. We're ready."

"Very well," Archer replied.

The next hour or so was one of the tensest they had ever spent together. Dauntless hurtled back into the system at warp speed, and their sensor relays continued to feed them information. The way the trajectories worked out, the Orion ship would reach the colony vessel only minutes before they did. That was an acceptable margin.

"Travis," Archer reminded him during the lull, "remember what we talked about. The Orion ship is designed as a blockade runner and privateer- the majority of her weapons will fire fore and aft along her long axis. When it starts, try and keep us above or below her if you can. She may be more maneuverable- just do your best."

"Don't worry, captain," Mayweather replied steadily. "We had a couple run-ins with pirates aboard the old Horizon. I know what to do."

The chronometers ticked down, and then the waiting was over. An alert chime sounded on the helm console. "Initial point, captain, reducing to impulse," Travis said. Dauntless dropped smoothly out of warp, and immediately began a parabolic curve around the intervening bulk of Addie-2's moon. On the main viewscreen, the small planet hung above them, the clouds whipping past as the ship covered the remaining distance in seconds.

"Third sensor contact!" Lieutenant Ling called from the sensors. "Looks like a shuttle enroute to the colony ship from the Rax Xephyr!"

"Tactical plot on the viewer," Archer ordered. The view shifted, and suddenly they had a bird's eye view of the battlespace. "Designate Orion shuttle as hostile 2," he ordered grimly. "Assign rail battery number one to that target."

"Target locked," Reed said grimly.

"Simultaneous engagement. Weapons release is authorized, Commander Reed. Firing pattern as briefed."

"Weapons free," Reed acknowledged.

"We're clearing the lower limb of the moon," Travis reported. Targets are in line-of-sight."

"Hostile one is raising shields," Ling reported.

"Execute!" Archer barked at the same moment.

"Firing!" Reed snapped. Two tri-cobalt warheads, accelerated to relativistic speeds by the rail system in the accelerator cannon, fired seconds apart at close range. Several dozen kinetic lances, basically flechettes of super-hard metal alloy, fired from railgun battery number one at the same moment, covering the distance between Dauntless and the hapless Orion shuttle in less than two seconds. As fast as Dauntless appeared and opened fire, the Orions in the shuttle never knew what hit them. Multiple kinetic lances shredded the smaller, unshielded Orion craft from bow to stern, and two of the metal shards ripped through her main energizer, resulting in a small secondary blast that completely consumed her.

The Rax Xephyr reacted with admirable quickness, but not quite quickly enough. The first tri-cobalt warhead detonated in a blinding, blue-white explosion against their shields, taxing them almost to the breaking point. The force of the explosion was enough to tumble the Orion ship just slightly, adding an unexpected twist to the firing solution they were attempting against the second incoming missile. Green bolts of disruptor fire that would have destroyed the second missile narrowly missed instead, and when it detonated against the Xephyr's shields it knocked them down completely and overloaded her own missile systems, rendering them useless.

What followed was short, predictable, and as brutal as two gladiators tied together in a knife fight.

Lieutenant Mayweather rolled Dauntless and pitched up slightly, using the underside of the primary hull to mask the engine nacelles and engineering section to the greatest extent possible. The underside laser batteries and railguns opened fire at the same time the Orion vessel shifted her weapons fire to Dauntless. In a sickening prelude of what the Romulan War would soon bring, the human crew saw firsthand what happened when extremely powerful weapons were used between unshielded vessels not really designed to withstand the punishment. Green disruptor bolts tore jagged gashes in the underside of Dauntless's primary hull, but Archer's precautions kept the damage and casualties minimized. In return, laser fire and kinetic lances ripped through the much smaller Orion ship in return, rendering her inert in seconds. A final salvo of kinetic lances into her power core finished the job, and like her ill-fated shuttle less than a minute before, the Rax Xephyr and her proud Orion crew were obliterated in a blinding explosion that left nothing but cosmic dust.

 

[Jedi Marso]

XIV​

Captain's Star Log, supplemental. I made my decision, and the time has come to face the consequences. Despite our careful planning and the tactical pre-briefings I conducted with Lieutenant Commander Reed and Lieutenant Mayweather, we didn't get away without loss. Chief Petrov and Specialist 2nd Class Benito were killed in action, manning the lower laser control room. Another twenty-five crewmembers were injured, one seriously. I will bear the responsibility for these deaths for the rest of my life, as surely as if I had killed those men myself, but I stand by my decision. There is a fundamental difference between our own culture and the Orions, and I decided after the first year of this mission not to engage in cultural relativism when it comes to certain things. Slavery and piracy are wrong, and it would have been wrong of me to let the Orions end the long sleep of these mysterious aliens who I placed in jeopardy with our all-too-human curiosity. Our last task before leaving AD-IIE-b will be to right that wrong to the greatest extent that we are able, and leave those people in peace. When they emerge from cryo-stasis, whether it's ten years from now or ten thousand, my hope is that they will not even realize we were here, or that a battle was fought on their behalf. Let them build their new world and find what satisfaction their kind derives from the endeavor.

As for Dauntless, her damage was thankfully minor. Trip tells me we'll have most of the hull damage repaired by the time we reach Andoria, where I intend to arrange for a court of inquiry into my actions here. I hope the record of our dealings with the Orions will lead to at least an exoneration, although I fully expect to be reprimanded- perhaps severely- for my actions here. Once again, an encounter with the unknown has served to illustrate the need for better and more precise directives concerning the way we operate under our own auspices. What started as a genuine scientific exploration turned into a terrible situation pretty quickly. We need to find our proverbial footing out here and stop flailing around. Better regulations and procedures will help us accomplish that. It is still my hope that we can move forward together with our allies in that purpose. End entry.



The mood was somber but satisfied when Archer stepped onto the bridge and took the center seat. He was heartened by the vibe he felt from the crew: almost to a man, they seemed to agree with him that stopping Daren Rax had been the right thing to do. Of course it was easier to feel good about in hindsight, with the fight won and the ship intact. He hoped Earth Command would see it the same way in a couple of months when the court of inquiry took place on Andoria. He wondered briefly how his friend Shran would have handled the incident, and had to smile. With Shran in charge, Archer suspected the fight would have taken place a lot sooner. On the other hand, with T'Pol in command, it would never have happened at all and the Orions would be disassembling the colony ship and either wheeling and dealing with the crew or preparing to sell them in a Syndicate slave market, provided they had survived at all.

Archer absently gripped the armrest of the captain's chair. Sometimes the burden of command was very heavy; heavier than he'd ever expected it to be. Now and in the decades to come, it was going to take a special breed of person to sit in this chair and make these life and death decisions on a daily basis. He could only hope history would judge his decisions as correct ones. He shook himself out of his brief reverie and turned to Reed. "Report."

"All sensor relays are recovered, captain, and we've swept the area clean of debris from the battle- not that there was much of it. All stray mass has been either recovered for recycling or swept with our navigational deflectors within the Roche Limit of the gas giant. There should be no traces left when our friends come out of cryo-stasis."

"Excellent work, commander."

"Captain," Hoshi said, "shouldn't we leave something nearby? A quarantine beacon, or something to warn off passing traffic?"

"No," Archer replied. "Addie is too far from Earth for us to monitor. A beacon of any kind will only serve to attract others, either more Orions or perhaps even the Romulans. They sat peacefully for thousands of years before we stumbled upon them, and that's only because of T'Pol's meticulous charting methods. They'll be much safer if we just leave them anonymous."

Hoshi nodded. "I see your point, sir."

Archer glanced toward the science station, where T'Pol was back on duty. She hadn't said more than three words to him outside the line of duty since the battle, and even now she was absorbed in her console, or at least pretending to be. It was going to be a long trip back to Andorian space- hopefully she'd get over it, but he was prepared for the possibility that she wouldn't. He'd talk to her about it when the time was right; that, and when he thought of something to say. Maybe Trip could act as an intermediary for him, or even Doctor Phlox. Time would tell.

Archer took a deep breath. "Lieutenant Mayweather, set a course for Epsilon Indi."

"Course plotted and laid in, captain," Travis replied.

"Ahead warp 2. Accelerate to max cruise when we clear the system boundary."

"Warp 2, sir." All eyes turned to the view screen, as Addie-2 and her moon shrank to a point of light within seconds, then faded away completely on the departure angle.

 

[Jedi Marso]

~finis~​

 

[Blip]

This is entirely what we should have gotten with Enterprise! Actual questions of morality and ethics, limitations of fledgling technologies, and the sense that the ship and crew were truly Out There, alone.

I do have a couple of queries, mostly around how you feel the ship(s) would look in this timeline (I assume it would be different, based on your comments on technological progress, but didn't see a specific description). Likewise, what would you imagine in terms of uniform - and would you put T'Pol in one of those pointless catsuits?

Speaking of which, a recommendation if I may: Originally T'Pol was going to be called T'Pau (as in the TOS character) but this was scratched due to copyright issues IIRC. Why not use the original choice here?

Anyway, I loved reading this so I do hope you'll be submitting more!

 

[Jedi Marso]

I do have a couple of queries, mostly around how you feel the ship(s) would look in this timeline (I assume it would be different, based on your comments on technological progress, but didn't see a specific description).

This is going to sound strange, but I honestly didn't give it a whole lot of thought. I'm one of the many who thought the exterior of the canon ship looked too much like a 24th Century Akira. On the other hand, I think the Daedalus design looks absolutely awful. Thinking about it, I sort of imagine the ship looking like a TOS version (perhaps Koerner style) of an early Miranda or something similar to the canon NX-01, but a little retro. In the battle sequence where Travis was maneuvering to use the primary hull to shield the nacelles, I suppose I was channeling the canon design.

Likewise, what would you imagine in terms of uniform - and would you put T'Pol in one of those pointless catsuits?

I thought the Enterprise uniforms were practical for the era and the mission. Flight suits are flame retardant, comfortable, have lots of pockets, and can look sharp if the wearer is fit and they are pressed. That said, I would have liked for more formal uniforms to NOT incorporate flight suits. The form that should take is something I'll have to ponder if I write any more stories in this era/timeline.

Oh, and no catsuits. (Sometimes I hate myself)

Speaking of which, a recommendation if I may: Originally T'Pol was going to be called T'Pau (as in the TOS character) but this was scratched due to copyright issues IIRC. Why not use the original choice here?

Believe it or not, I wasn't even aware of that! I think the decision to make T'Pol a different character was smart. T'Pau in Amok Time came across as a Vulcan 'nationalist', if there is such a thing, and someone who wasn't fond of humans. I think the chance that she would have served aboard an Earth ship in any capacity in her youth is slim and none. Plus, I'm also a believer in not making story / plot elements too insular or incestuous, if you will. It sort of bothers me that in the Founding of the Federation novels, two of Jim Kirk's direct descendants are serving and getting together. Making T'Pau the Vulcan science officer definitely smacks of unnecessary tie-ins to me. Actually, since in this timeline 'Broken Bow' never happened, I had a small mental debate with myself over including a Vulcan crewmember at all, then decided to keep the crew composition basically the same as the canon one. One change I did make which could easily be missed in the moment: T'Pol is the Vulcan equivalent of a lieutenant in this story, and Trip Tucker is the executive officer as well as chief engineer. Diverging from canon is okay up to a point, but if you make the setting too alien and unrecognizable I think it tends to turn people off. The idea was to preserve the framework of the canon show while offering up some of the elements I would have liked to have seen, as you mentioned above.

Anyway, I loved reading this so I do hope you'll be submitting more!

Thanks! I'm thinking about writing about the broader social consequences of the events of 'Dear Doctor' in this timeline- perhaps the very reason Denobula wasn't a founding member of the Federation and why Earth was eventually forced to take on the Romulans without the help of her allies. Every action has consequences!

Also, I have another story posted here as well if you're interested: Star Trek, the Undiscovered Country redeux, complete with John Ford Klingons. Another alternate timeline sort of affair like this one. The details for that one are in the intro, just like this one.