|
"Nullification"
Rating: PG “Captain, there are twenty objects approaching us at two hundred and nine KPH,” T’Pol reported. Archer was standing next to Trip at the engineering console looking over some modifications he had planned on making that week. Both men looked up at her. “What are they?” Archer asked. T’Pol hesitated a moment before replying. “They are ground to air missiles of a primitive design. Twelve are single warhead missiles with ninety-one kilogram atomic warheads, eight have hydrogen warheads.” T’Pol turned to Archer. “And five are heading directly toward Enterprise. I would advise that we drop out of warp.” Archer stood. “Make it so, Travis. Polarize the hull plating. Malcolm, target ‘em and shoot ‘em down. Can you tell where or who fired them, T’Pol?” T’Pol turned back to her viewer. Malcolm let out a frustrated sigh. “This is like shooting hummingbirds with an elephant gun!” Archer walked around to stand in front of his chair, watching the warheads explode on the view monitor. “Damn. I missed two.” Malcolm looked at Archer. “They passed on port.” “Travis, come about.” “Judging from the telemetry of the missiles, the missiles originated from the uncharted solar system we are currently headed toward. It is less than eight thousand kilometers from our current position.” T’Pol turned to Archer. “Got them!” Malcolm smiled for a second, but it was gone before Archer saw it. Trip chuckled a little. “At least one of us had fun today,” Trip commented. “Travis, head for that system at warp two.” “Aye, Captain,” Travis replied “We’re going to go shake hands with someone firing missiles at us?” Trip asked. “We’re going to go find out why they were firing missiles because I don’t think they were meant for us.” “I really don’t want to see another war,” Hoshi griped. Archer didn’t either, but he had to make sure it was a war and not some transporter vessel being attacked. “Keep an eye on things, T’Pol,” Archer ordered. Archer sat down, watching the view monitor. The solar system quickly came into view; it had two suns orbiting one another and three planets that orbited the suns. As they came closer they could see an asteroid traveling through the solar system. “T’Pol, get me information on the planets, and I want to know where that asteroid’s headed and how big it is,” Archer told T’Pol “The two closer planets are inhabitant with Menshara class atmosphere. The closest has a population of close to five million and the furthest has a population over a billion. The asteroid,” T’Pol looked at Archer, “Is on a collision course with the furthest planet and is roughly twent-three kilometers in diameter.” “That’ll kill the planet if it hits!” Trip commented. “T’Pol, look for—” “HOLD ON!” Travis yelled. Archer looked up in time to see something flying past the external visual sensor as Travis banked the ship to the right. The gravity plating took a couple seconds to compensate for the sharp turn. Travis quickly brought Enterprise back around and leveled out. “What was that?” Archer asked. “I don’t know. It looked a lot like a shuttlepod or space shuttle of sime kind,” Travis answered. “It was,” T’Pol replied. Archer looked around at her. She was back at her viewer. “It appears to be badly damaged and is venting atmosphere.” “Life signs?” “I am reading six.” “Travis, go after it and pull it into loading bay two.” Travis turned Enterprise to go after the crippled shuttle. “There is another one in the tail of the asteroid,” T’Pol continued to report, “It appears to be attempting to land on the asteroid. The asteroid will impact the planet in an hour and a half.” “If we were saving Earth, I’d say we just stepped out of a movie,” Trip commented. Archer flashed a smile at Trip. “Except there weren’t aliens from another planet helping in any of those movies, Trip.” Trip chuckled, “That’s true.” Archer turned, pressing the companel on his chair arm. “Captain, this races does not appear to have warp capablility. You would be contaminating their culture by interfering,” T’Pol advised. “Minimal contact only but I’m not going to sit here and watch their planet be killed.” Archer pressed the companel again. “Archer to security.” “This is an act of nature. You should not interfere,” T’Pol insisted. Archer looked at T’Pol. “Then I’m cheating nature. She can reprimand me later.” “Security here,” a female crewman replied. “I need two teams to loading bays one and two. When the team gets to the loading bays I want them to secure the ships that we’re about to pull in. I’ll be sending Doctor’s Phlox and Likos down to administer medical attention. Do not leave them alone while they are tending to patients or transporting them to Sickbay. Understood?” “Yes, sir.” “And when the team gets to loading bay one, tell them to do a bio-scan to make sure Navta and Eartik aren’t hiding in it.” “Yes, sir.” Archer tapped the panel twice. “Archer to Sickbay.” “Sickbay,” Doctor Phlox said. “I need you and Likos at loading bay two first. We’re retrieving a crippled shuttlecraft and they may have injured.” “Yes, Captain.” “Got it and pulling it into loading bay two,” Travis said. “It’s not much bigger than a bus.” “As soon as its secured head for the asteroid, Travis. Hoshi.” Hoshi looked back at Archer. “Yes, sir?” “See if you can pick up any communications and start working on translating it. We may need it fast.” “Yes, sir.” Hoshi turned to a console and began working on the request. “The second shuttle has landed on the surface,” T’Pol told Archer. “Have any aliens left the shuttle yet?” “They are starting to unload their craft.” “Hoshi, are they receiving any transmissions from the planet?” “Yes.” “Block it and then send them a message. Tell them to return to the shuttle and prepare for launch. Make up a reason.” “Yes, sir.” “Closing on position over the alien craft,” Travis reported. “Message sent and received. I still have communication to the planet blocked. “As soon as they have boarded and closed all hatches, grab them and get them up here, Travis. How much time before the asteroid hits?” “Forty-seven minutes,” T’Pol replied. “Hurry up here, Travis.” The bridge was silent while Travis piloted close enough to the asteroid to grab the alien craft with a grapple line. “Got ‘em. Pulling them in,” Travis reported. “T’Pol, I’m going to see what they were planned on doing, but I want you to work out a contingency plan. You have twenty minutes. Hoshi.” Hoshi and Archer walked to the lift and stepped on. # Archer walked into the loading bay to find a stand off. The aliens were holding handguns on his crew who in turn had phase pistols aimed at the aliens. The aliens had large eyes that took up most of their face. Their faces were almost devil like, right down to the slanted eyebrows and plastic looking red-brownish skin. “Hoshi, tell them we don’t mean any harm and that we’re trying to help them. Ask them to lower their weapons.” Hoshi spoke in their language. One of the aliens spoke back. “He said he now knows you sent a false message and you’ve just doomed their planet.” Hoshi looked at Archer. “Prepare to die.” “Tell him we did send the message, but we needed them off the asteroid so we could destroy it. I need to know how they were going to destroy it.” Hoshi and the alien spoke for a length. She looked at Archer. “They were going to set off some type of bomb under the surface to break it up.” “Ask him if he can give us a brief on their mission. We need to verify their plan would work before we try it.” Hoshi spoke to the alien. He aimed his gun at Archer. “He says you’re tricking him. He doesn’t know who you are and he wants you to put him back on the asteroid to complete his mission.” Archer’s patience was starting to dwindle. “Tell him who I am and explain to him we only have a half an hour and we need to destroy this thing now.” Hoshi started translating but stopped. The one that had been speaking lowered his weapon and the aliens began talking among each other and motioning to something behind Archer. Archer turned, finding Navta peeking around the legs of a security guard and clutching her teddy bear to her chest. Eartik stood behind her, peering around her and keeping hold of her shirt. “Sir.” Archer looked at Hoshi. “He asked if they are your children.” Hoshi translated the answer. The alien spoke again and the other alien’s lowered their guns. “Lower your weapons,” Archer told his crewmen. The alien motioned Archer to follow. Archer and Hoshi followed him back on board their shuttle to the cockpit. He said something, motioning to a bank of controls. “This has the details of their plan,” Hoshi said, pointing to a computer console. “Pull it up,” Archer said and Hoshi translated. The alien pulled it up, showing a model of the asteroid and the points where the detonations were to occur around it. “How deep were the explosives going to be?” Archer asked. Hoshi asked and translated, “He said six kilometers.” “That wouldn’t have done anything. Tell him we’re going to destroy it.” Archer turned to the alien. He and Hoshi spoke for several minutes. She turned to Archer. “He wants to know how?” “Tell him… I don’t know. No. Don’t tell him that.” Archer looked away. “How about I tell him our head scientist is working out the details and we’ll destroy it before it destroys his planet?” “That’ll work,” Archer answered. Hoshi translated the response and the alien shook his head, motioning to the back of his shuttle and then the door. Hoshi looked up at Archer. “He wants to see the plans. Their most brilliant scientists have been working on this plan for a little over a year, since the asteroid was detected. I don’t think he’s going to be blown off too easy about this, sir.” Archer nodded. “Tell him only he can come. The rest of his crew must stay here.” Hoshi translated and the alien nodded a little. Hoshi nodded to Archer. Archer led the way back to the bridge. The bridge crew momentarily stared at the alien before resuming what they were doing. “Anything, T’Pol?” Archer asked her. “I am working out the math on the solution. One moment.” Archer glanced at Hoshi and she translated T’Pol’s response to the alien. The bridge was silent while they waited for her. “I have devised a solution using the phase cannons,” T’Pol said. “The asteroid’s core—” “Great! Give it to Malcolm.” Archer looked back at the view monitor. Malcolm looked over the plans. “It will take a few seconds to calibrate the cannons, sir. Just one moment.” The particle beams from the cannons hit the asteroid and the asteroid began to quickly disintegrate. It exploded suddenly and Travis quickly steered Enterprise away from the flying debris. “Report, T’Pol.” T’Pol looked in her viewer. “The asteroid has been reduced to pieces no larger than two meters. There is one larger piece that is roughly twenty-two kilometers, but it has changed course and will pass ninety-three kilometers away from the planet and into open space. Some debris will fall to the surface, but will not cause extinction level damage.” Archer smiled. “Translate that, Hoshi. Travis, bring us to a halt. I want to stay out of detection range.” Hoshi translated the good news to the alien. “He’s just thanking you, sir,” Hoshi quickly warned. The alien grabbed Archer in a bear hug so tight Archer could hardly breathe. “Tell him I can’t breath,” Archer whispered. The alien let Archer go, talking quickly with exagerated hand gestures to emphasis his speech. Hoshi continued translating, “He says they were on what sounds like a suicide mission. They were to destroy the asteroid but they had to remain on the surface to detonate the bombs. He thought he’d never see his children again and he’s overjoyed that he gets to. He wants you to return with them when they go back to the planet. The governments of his planet will be happy to meet you and your daughter.” “Daughter?” Trip asked. Archer replied. “Hoshi, tell him we’re glad we could help, but we can’t go to the surface with him. We just came to help and it would be best to let his governments think he did the job and survived. We’ll heal the injured from the other crew and drop them off closer to their planet.” Hoshi translated what Archer said. The alien grabbed Archer’s hand, shaking it vigoursly. “He’s thanking you. Repeatidly.” “Tell him we were glad to be of help. T’Pol.” T’Pol turned her chair. “Yes, Captain?” “Take our visitor to Sickbay to see his crew.” “Yes, Captain.” T’Pol rose and left with the alien and Hoshi. Archer turned and sat down in his chair, staring at the view monitor. “What are you thinkin’?” Trip asked. “It would be best if they hadn’t seen us at all.” “Kinda late for that, isn’t it?” “I guess so.” “You ever been knocked out from something and when you wake up everything feels funny, sir?” Travis asked, looking back at Archer. “Can’t say as I have.” “Ever have a dream so real that you wake up and swear that it happened?” Travis looked back at Archer. Archer smiled. “Have had that happen.” “And you just can’t understand how it could have…because it was so unreal. If something like that happened, then they’d have some missing pieces, but in the end, the asteroid was destroyed, the bombing equipment won’t be on their ships, and they’ll still be alive.” Archer nodded. “Good plan, Travis. Thanks.” He reached over and tapped the companel. “Archer to Doctor Phlox.” “Phlox here.” “When you have a chance, I need to talk to you about our guests.” “I’ll be up as soon as I can, Captain.” Archer looked back at the view monitor and the planet in the distance. # “Ground control to Major Hauq,” a voice said. Major Hauq slowly opened his eyes, staring at the control panel in his sight. He let out a soft moan, grabbing the back of a chair and pulling himself into it. He surveyed the damage of the cockpit. Several monitors were smashed and the cockpit was littered with floating debris. To his left Lieutenant Hoert was slumped in his chair. “Ground control to Major Hauq,” the voice repeated. Major Hauq looked at the communications panel on his right. He reached out and picked up the headset floating in the air overhead He slowly pulled it on, adjusted the mic and switched it on. “Major Hauq here, ground control.” “We thought we’d lost you!” “Apprently not. What happened?” “We don’t know. The asteroid was destroyed and then an hour ago both your shuttle and Major Jaret’s shuttle appeared on our radar. What happened up there? How did you both survive?” “I don’t know.” “Major?” Major Hauq heard someone behind him say. Major Hauq turned, watching Lieutenant Fipya standing up. “Stand by ground control,” Major Hauq said. He pushed himself toward her. He examined the swollen spot on her head. She winced when he touched it. “How are you?” Major Hauq asked her. “I don’t remember what happened. Last I remembered we were on the surface and then…” She looked up at him. “A really strange dream.” Major Hauq flashed a smile, not about to admit he’d had his own strange dream. “Go check the cargo hold. We can’t reenter with any explosives on board.” She got up and went toward the back. Major Hauq pulled himself back into his seat, putting his headset on again. “…and the last thing I remember is we were hit by debris and were flying off into space,” he heard one of Major Jaret’s crewmen finish saying. “We lost you on our radar. It seems we have a lot of unanswered questions.” “I remember seeing aliens,” the crewman said. “There were no aliens,” Major Jaret said. “I would remember that.” Major Hauq looked down. His memories returned suddenly and he recalled the last conversation he’d had with the alien named Hoshi. # Major Hauq watched Hoshi walk up to him. “You’ll be leaving soon,” Hoshi told him. He smiled. “My people will be excited to hear we are not alone in the universe.” Hoshi shook her head. “They won’t hear of it.” “Why not? Aren’t we being sent home?” “Yes.” Hoshi moved a step closer. “They can’t understand us.” She motioned slightly to her captain and the alien standing next to him. “And if they know I’m telling you this I will get in a lot of trouble so you must never tell anyone. Understand?” Major Hauq nodded. “Captain Archer has ordered for you and your crew to be given a drug that will make you sleep and when you wake, it will make your memories fuzzy. It’s going to be hard to remember what happened. The others don’t know about this, only you, but you can’t tell them. As soon as repairs have been made on the second vessel, you will be put back in the vessels and the shuttle computers will be programmed to start you toward your planet. You will all wake before you get there. The load of explosives will be gone so it looks like you accomplished your mission. No one will ever know it was us. Except you.” “Why is your captain doing this after helping us?” “It’s the best way. Knowing that we exist could cause many problems on your planet. I’ve seen it a hundred times. It could and would change the course of your lives. And it’s become sort of my captain’s policy not to interfere with races who don’t have our technology of space travel.” “Then why did he interfere at all?” Hoshi smiled. “Because he’s kind. He didn’t want to watch your planet be killed when he could stop it. So he interfered to save you and your people and your planet from being killed. He hopes that one day you’ll develop the technology to venture into deep space and maybe meet our race. I hope the same thing. I would love to learn more about your culture and your people. But you have to swear never to tell anyone about this.” Major Hauq smiled at her. “I can promise this. I will say nothing.” The alien doctor came up to Hoshi, giving her a somewhat stern but friendly look and saying something to her and for a few minutes the two of them spoke. She smiled, chuckling quietly and patting the doctor’s shoulder. “What did he say?” Major Hauq asked. “Doctor Phlox is very perceptive. He knows I told you, but he isn’t going to say anything. You won’t be given the same drug. You will wake up refreshed and remember everything clearly. You promise not to tell?” Major Hauq nodded. Hoshi looked at the doctor and nodded. “Sit up here.” Hoshi patted a bed next to them. Major Hauq sat down on it and for a moment looked at his and Major Jaret’s crew. They were all asleep now. He was the last awake. He looked at Captain Archer who was watching him and offered him a smile. Captain Archer returned it and then Major Hauq laid back and the doctor injected the substance into his body. Hoshi smiled and saying, “Now you’ll see your children grow up,” as her face blurred into black. # “Enterprise,” Major Hauq whispered. “I’m sorry? I didn’t copy,” Major Jaret said. Major Hauq hesitated, and then said, “I said this was quite the enterprise. We’re lucky to be alive. We weren’t supposed to be, you know.” “I know.” “You’re coming home heroes, Major Hauq and Major Jaret. You and your crews,” the voice at ground control said. Major Hauq looked up at the black space above him and smiled. Somewhere out there were the real heroes. Major Hauq closed his eyes, in his mind thanking the aliens for letting him watch his children grow. The next short story is Escape Velocity The next Tweens story is Truth Scores |
Like it? Hate it? Just want to point out a typo? Join the discussion now.
Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its various forms and its characters are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the authors of this site, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit. This site is owned by CX and was opened to the public in February 2008.