|
"Pen to Paper"
Rating: PG Regrettable Logic (9) Trip turned his arm and activated the monitor on his EV suit sleeve. He picked up a glove, slid it on until the metal rings on the sleeve and glove connected, and with a half twist, fastened it in place. He tried to fasten his other glove on but the EV glove he just put on was making it near impossible. “Why are you so impatient today, Trip?” Archer asked. He stepped around Trip, holding his hand out for the glove. “You know how long it’s been since I’ve gotten to work outside?” Trip grinned. Archer chuckled, taking his glove and attaching it with a click. “He’s been going on about it for the last two hours, sir,” Lieutenant Rueben Walters said. Rueben’s voice made Archer smile. He was from Jamaica, but his accent was more Puerto Rican than Jamaican. The accent stirred memories of the hours Archer and Trip had spent scuba diving around Puerto Rico. Rueben was a dark skinned man and only stood one point five meters high, and that was with a head full of dreadlocks. The dreadlocks were against regulations, but Archer overlooked it. Rueben was one of four remaining members of Trip’s ‘Miracle Workers’ team and had been at Trip’s side numerous times, saving Enterprise and the crew time after time in the Expanse. However, unlike the rest of the team, Archer didn’t see him excelling to being a senior engineer. Instead, he saw Rueben becoming a captain one day. In his service record, there was a remark from a previous senior officer that said: ‘shows excellent leadership ability.’ The remark was right on the nose. Lieutenant Anne Hess had been killed during the first attack in the Expanse and Trip had promoted Rueben to his first in command. Every time Trip had been off ship or injured, Rueben had led the engineers as competently as Trip did. He knew exactly what Archer expected and when everything else was going to hell around him, he never lost his head. Now that they had settled back into exploration, Archer felt comfortable with Trip leaving Rueben in command of engineering when Trip was off ship. Next week was his year review and he planned to promote him, and offer him the chief engineer position under Captain Rameriz — dreadlocks and all. It always pleased him to see one of his crew advance and move on, but it also was sad to know that the good ones wouldn’t stay forever. Another crewman entered the room to help Rueben with his EV suit. “Then let me say right now, I’m sorry, Rueben” Archer joked. “Yeh? What for?” “For sending you out of the ship with a babbling idiot.” “HEY!” Trip retorted. “You’ll have a view when you get out there,” the other crewmen told the men. “There’s a class nine gas giant to starboard about fifty kilometers off, and an asteroid field twelve kilometers to port.” “It’s a good place to avoid company. We’ll look like a stray asteroid without the engines online,” Archer explained. “It should be a relatively quiet place to make this repair, so take your time. I’d like a hull with less holes not more when you’re done.” “Cap’n, we’re professionals, remember?” Archer wasn’t convinced. “No dancing in zero-g’s either, Trip.” Trip laughed. “Can’t. Just’ll have Rueben and he’s not much of a dance partner.” “I dance well without gravity, man!” Rueben protested. “It’s in gravity I don’t be dancing so well.” The men laughed. “You know, sir,” Trip said, suddenly serious. “I don’t get why that oxygen line blew. That just seems strange.” “Here we go with the conspiracy theories again!” Rueben laughed. “Trip, it ruptured because it was old. Everything on Enterprise is old.” “My ship is not old!” Archer retorted. Reuben looked at Archer with an ornery gleam in his eye. “I know who it was, Trip. It wasn’t an old line or a saboteur. It was a captain. He wanted us to leave so he could plan a mutiny.” “On my own ship?” “Yeah. Sure.” Trip laughed, adding, “Think how easy it will be. Everyone will listen to you as if you were the captain.” Archer rolled his eyes. “Before I orchestrate a mutiny to take over my own ship, can we get you two outside? Is your oxygen checking out, Trip?” Archer asked as he picked up Trip’s helmet. Trip looked at his arm monitor. “She’s green across the board, Major Tom.” Archer had lifted Trip’s helmet. He narrowed his eyes making Trip grin. Archer pulled Trip’s helmet over his head. Trip started talking, but the helmet muffled it. Once Archer snapped it into place, he grabbed Trip’s arm, tapping the external VOX. Trip stopped talking. “What?” Archer asked. Trip stuck out his tongue, showing his gum. Archer glared at him. “I’m old and senile, sir!” “Just swallow it. Get off my ship!” With a shrug, Trip picked up his tool kit and headed for the shuttle pod. “Hurry up, Rueben! Eric’s probably taking a nap and we have to do our alien from Mars bit on him.” Archer looked at Rueben. He was checking his arm monitor again. Rueben walked toward the door but suddenly stopped and turned. He tapped his external VOX. “See you soon, Cap-tong.” “Tell him I’ll be watching him and keep him in line, Rueben.” Rueben gave him a thumbs up and giant smile. He turned, disappearing through the door. # Archer sat back with a tired sigh when he finished the last of the month’s scheduling. If there was one job he hated as a captain, scheduling was always the first to mind. “And if they don’t like their shifts, tough.” Archer smiled as he stood. He walked out to the bridge and sat down in the captain’s chair, reclining back. “How’s the repair coming, T’Pol?” “They are nearly finished, Captain. Ensign Carter has been having problems with internal sensors on the shuttle pod for the last ten minutes and Commander Tucker’s homing beacon is non-functional.” “Wouldn’t be normal without some glitches. Any company on sensors, Hoshi?” “No, sir,” Hoshi answered with a quiet laugh. “Is Trip being a clown?” “He always is when he gets out there, sir.” “Let’s hear it.” “Switching to bridge COM at the Captain’s request, Commander,” Hoshi informed Trip. “You ruined my fun, Hoshi!” Trip laughed over the bridge COM. “I’m gonna start callin’ ya Ma Hoshi.” “Madre! Trip’s throwin’ dirty looks at me!” Rueben cried. “I can’t help you from in here,” Hoshi told the two men. “You’re on your own, Rueben. “He is telling adult jokes, Cap-tong,” Rueben said, faking a smug tone. “Tattle-tale,” Trip jabbed at Rueben. “It involved a blond with a cerdo, and another with a chorizo, and a bar,” Rueben added. “And I’m getting even for you cheating at poker last night, Co-mmander.” “I was just on an unusual lucky streak and you’re jealous, Rueben.” “Green with envy, Co-mmander, yeah? It’s turning my skin hard and golden colored.” “Rueben, that’s your EV suit.” “Oh? Is that what that is, man? I thought I was turning into Roboman.” Archer chuckled. “How’s the joke go, Trip?” “Well, ya see, these two blondes walk into this bar, one’s naked and carrying a sausage, and the other’s carrying a pig—” Trip started. “Commander,” Ensign Carter interrupted, “now I’m showing a warning light on the engine.” There was audible frustration in his voice. “So fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry. So fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it!” Trip sung. “Cute, sir,” Eric retorted, but he didn’t sound very amused. Trip sighed. “You’re too young to be forgetting how to have fun, Eric! Ensign Carter didn’t reply. “Moving to the last welding spot, Rueben,” Trip said. “You almost done?” “Nearly, sir,” Rueben answered. “Sir, uhm, there’s another warning light,” Eric reported. “I swear I am gonna scrap this stupid shuttle pod, sir. She is the most cantankerous and temperamental piece of equipment on Enterprise!” “Oh, just give her a good sound slap upside the navigation controls and a solid kick under the helm. Fixes her right up,” Trip jokingly ordered. Archer’s humor faded. “What are the warning lights on, Eric?” “This second one is reading a CO2 build-up, but the filter isn’t showing red and I just verified with a scanner that there isn’t any build-up. The other warning says there’s a malfunction with the engine ignition.” “Is the engine running?” “It’s idle, sir.” “It’s just a malfunction, Cap’n,” Trip said. “All the systems on shuttle pod two are flaky. You know that, sir.” “That entire shuttle pod is a malfunction,” Malcolm said quietly. Archer smiled. “Malcolm has once again expressed his belief that shuttle pod two is ill-fated, so let’s check those warnings out to ease his mind, okay, Eric?” “I agree with Lew-tenant Reed, Cap-tong. Beat ya, Co-mmander!” Rueben laughed. “Only cuz you had the easy side! Go help Eric scare the ghosts out of the machine.” “Perhaps I should help you, since you are old and slow, Co-mmander.” “Beat it, punk!” Rueben’s laughter made them all smile. “Very well. I’ll be sitting in comfort in the shuttle pod while you are still welding, old man.” “Why I oughta…” Trip laughed. “Threats. That’s all you’re good for, Co-mmander.” There was a brief silence. “Eric, open the hatch,” Rueben said. “I need the latrine!” “There’s a mental image we could have all done without, Rueben!” Hoshi laughed. “Finally! I made Madre Hoshi laugh.” Hoshi shook her head. “When don’t you make me laugh, Rueben?” “Hold on. I think I found one problem. It’s interfering with the hatch control so let me fix it real fast,” Eric told Rueben. “You don’t see stars like this inside, Co-mmander,” Rueben said. “They are gorgeous,” Trip agreed. “Someday—” Rueben started. “RUEBEN, ATTACH ON!” Eric yelled. A loud explosion thundered out of the speakers. “OH SHIT!” Trip yelled. “Hoshi, get me a visual,” Archer ordered as he rose to his feet. The view screen changed in time to see fire burst between the engine and the shuttle pod as the engine was ejected. The engine exploded suddenly, rocking Enterprise with the shockwave. Rueben, waiting outside with his safety lead carabineer still in hand, was sent spinning head over heel toward the gas giant. The shuttle pod was sent careening toward the asteroid field. “CAP-TONG!” Rueben screamed across the COM. “We’re hustling, Rueben. Travis, get a grapple on the shuttle pod. Hoshi, get someone to the transporter to get Trip and then Rueben, and try to raise Ensign Carter.” Hoshi and Travis quickly obeyed. “It’s moving away too fast. I can’t get it sittin’ still, sir,” Travis said. “Hurry, Hoshi.” “Lieutenant Nelson is en route to the transporter,” Hoshi said. “Ensign Carter isn’t responding to hails.” “CAP-TONG!” Rueben screamed again. “Go after Rueben as soon as we have Trip, Travis. Rueben, is your jet pack working?” “No! The controls aren’t functioning. Hurry, Cap-tong!” “We’re hurrying, Rueben.” “Nelson to bridge.” “Bridge here,” Hoshi replied. “There’s too much plasma discharge where Commander Tucker is. I can’t get a lock.” “T’Pol, where is the shuttle and Rueben?” Archer asked. “Lieutenant Walters is twenty kilometers to starboard and the shuttle pod is five kilometers to port.” “Trip, cut loose.” “Okay.” “Belay that order, Commander,” T’Pol said. “I don’t have time for this, T’Pol. Trip, cut loose,” Archer ordered. “Belay that order, Commander,” T’Pol said. “Captain—” “T’POL I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!” Archer yelled at her. “Trip, do as your ordered!” “Aye, sir.” “Commander, if you cut loose we will not be able to recover you,” T’Pol said. “Wh-Why?” Trip asked her. “Your homing beacon is still malfunctioning as you reported when you first left the shuttle pod.” T’Pol looked at Archer. “We would never find Commander Tucker if he cuts loose.” A chill ran went straight to Archer’s bones. He’d almost killed his best friend. “Trip, get your ass to a hatch on the double,” Archer ordered. “On my way, sir.” “Ensign Sato, turn off the bridge COM,” T’Pol ordered Hoshi. “Continue talking to Lieutenant Walters.” “Aye, ma’am. Rueben?” Hoshi said, “They’re working on it, Rueben. Talk to me. Don’t stop talking to me.” Archer turned to Travis. “Go after Rueben as soon as Trip’s on board.” Travis almost commented that Archer had already given him that command, but instead replied, “Aye, sir.” “We cannot save both men, Captain,” T’Pol informed Archer. “The hell I can’t!” “Captain, you can only save one. You won’t have time to go after both.” Malcolm glanced at T’Pol and Archer. He pulled up the data T’Pol was looking at and began doing calculations of his own. “I am saving both of my men, T’Pol! Travis, prepare—” Trip’s voice broke over the COM, “I’m onboard. Go after them. I’m heading for the transporter” Malcolm paled at the results of his calculations. “Travis, go after—” “T’Pol’s wrong, sir,” Malcolm said. T’Pol turned to check her readings again. “As I already guessed. Travis, go after Rue—” “If we attempt to save Rueben, you will save no one,” Malcolm added. Everyone looked at Malcolm. Malcolm looked up from his computer, holding Archer’s eyes. “He’s traveling at three times the velocity of the shuttle pod. By the time we reach him, the shuttle pod will be in the asteroid field if not impacted with a larger asteroid. They’ll both be dead.” T’Pol re-examined the information. Archer wasn’t about to believe either of them. “You two are wro—” “We’re sitting still, the engines were just brought online, we can’t go straight to impulse right now. By the time we get to Rueben, the atmosphere pressure will have finished him. But if we go after Carter, right now, we can save him.” “You’re wrong!” “He’s correct, Captain.” T’Pol said. Archer looked at the two. They had to be wrong. “Sir, would I tell you this if it weren’t true? I don’t want Rueben to die either. Rueben is a hell of an Engineer, and losing him will be a great loss, Captain, but we cannot save them both. Only one and that one is Carter and we have to hurry.” Archer closed his eyes. Violent nausea washed over him. He was not sitting in front of either Malcolm or T’Pol’s monitors. He couldn’t see what they were seeing. No matter how much he wished they weren’t telling him the truth, he knew they were. Archer opened his eyes, pulling his arms behind his back. “Travis, retrieve our shuttle pod and Ensign Carter. Hoshi, ask Doctor Phlox to stand by at shuttle bay two.” Travis turned Enterprise to port and went after the shuttle pod. Archer sat down, hiding his mounting grief behind a calm mask. Hoshi reached up and muted the COM. She looked back at Archer, almost whispering, “Captain, what do I tell Rueben? He’s about to enter the gravitational pull of the planet and he’s scared.” Hoshi hastily wiped a tear off her cheek Archer swallowed hard. “He has the right to know that…that he’s going to die.” Hoshi stared crying. She whimpered, “I can’t tell him that, sir.” “I’ll tell him. Put him on the bridge COM, Hoshi.” Hoshi reached up and touched the button. “…and I’m not seeing a ship coming for me, Hoshi.” “Rueben,” Archer said. “Cap-tong, help me!” Archer started to speak but he found he couldn’t find his voice. He swallowed and tried again, but his voice had abandoned him. “Lieutenant Walters,” T’Pol said. She stood and walked around her console to stand behind Travis. “T’Pol, what the hell is going on!?” “Rueben—” “YOU’RE USING MY NAME, T’POL!?” Rueben’s yelling made his transmission cut out. “YOU NEVER USE MY NAME. I CAN’T BE SAVED, CAN I!?” “No, Rueben,” T’Pol admitted quietly. There was a long silence, filled only by the sound of Rueben’s shaking breathing and sobs. Suddenly he collected himself. His breathing steadied and then he cleared his throat. “Oh. Well… At least I’m not flying through space wondering anymore,” Rueben joked, laughing nervously. “Think a school or library will be named after me? Imagine it, yeah? Rueben Walters Library, or Rueben Walters Elementary. Maybe my hijo will go to it. What do you think, Co-mmander?” # At the transporter Trip had his communication headgear still on and had been listening to the conversation. He reached down and turned on his microphone. Lieutenant Nelson stood nearby. She was openly concerned. “Maybe,” Trip whispered. “Wouldn’t be too All-American like if they didn’t, would it? I’ll put a request in to Starfleet first thing.” “Mañana, yeah?” “Yeah. Mañana, Rueben. Mañana.” “I’m sorry, Rueben,” Archer said over the COM. “I am so sorry.” “Don’t be. When Dios calls, we go.” Trip closed his eyes tight, throwing his headgear across the hall. He slid to the floor, covering his face. Trip shook with a racking sob. Lieutenant Nelson sat down next to him, putting her arm around him. # “Hoshi, querida?” Rueben asked. Hoshi forced a smile. She hastily wiped her tears away. “Does your wife know you call me dear all the time?” “Nada,” Rueben forced a laugh. “She doesn’t know. Are you getting a video feed from my helmet sensor?” “No.” “Turn it on. Let’s not make this a total waste, yeah? I can give T’Pol some up close and personal pictures of a class nine gas giant.” “That is not necessary, Rueben,” T’Pol said. Archer ordered in a whisper, “Humor a dead man, T’Pol.” “However, the images could prove beneficial,” T’Pol said. “Starting capture,” Hoshi informed him. “Shuttle pod two is within range,” Travis whispered to Archer. “Get it and then head for the planet,” Archer whispered back. “Are you saving Eric?” Rueben asked. “Yes,” Archer replied. “Bueno. His esposa y madre will appreciate that. His madre was worried about him when he told her he was leaving. Hoshi?” “Yeah?” “Tell Monica, okay? Don’t wait. She’s real scared to be alone, see, and if she knows, then she can get done being sad and find a good husband. Maybe a lawyer or surgeon, or some guy that won’t run off to the stars on her. I want that for her. You tell her I expect to find her with some other man when I visit from heaven.” Hoshi closed her eyes, starting to cry. “I promise, Rueben. What should I tell Naldo?” Rueben began wheezing. “Tell mí hijo… Tell him I’ll be watching him with his abuelo, I’ll be at every soccer game. Tell him…” Rueben coughed, whimpering. “Tell him… I love him. And take care of his madre y abuela.” “I’ll tell him.” “Shuttle pod two captured and recovered,” Travis said out loud. “Coming about.” “These colors are amazing!” Rueben said. “You see this, T’Pol? Ever seen a purple cloud before?” “Put the capture on screen,” T’Pol ordered Hoshi. The view screen changed to Reuben’s EV helmet’s visual feed. He was passing a cloud colored purple and red. “It’s pretty,” Hoshi said. “It is unique,” T’Pol commented. “Now I know what the trash feels like in the compactor.” Rueben tried to laugh. He was the only one that did. “It was an honor to serve with you, Cap-tong Archer. With all of you.” “The honor has been ours.” Archer looked up at the view screen. Rueben gasped and let out a whimper of pain. “Hoshi, keep Malcolm from premiado y hurgón juegio.” “Sí,” Hoshi replied. “Adiós.” “No! Rueben, stay on,” Hoshi begged. “Rueben, don’t terminate the communication,” Archer ordered. “Keep talking to us.” “Capitán, mí nada—” “Rueben, no,” Archer said. “Stay on. As long as you can, stay on.” “Por favor perdonar mí, Capitán Arquero. Adiós. Rueben fuera.” “NO!” Hoshi and Archer said at the same time. Silence followed. On the view screen the visual continued to record until there was a bright flash of light and then it went to static. “Turn it off, Hoshi,” Archer said quietly. The transmission wasn’t cut. Archer looked at her. She was holding her stomach, doubled over and sobbing. Archer knew he should do something, but he was too numb to move. He watched as Malcolm walked past him to Hoshi. He gently guided Hoshi from her chair and the left the bridge. T’Pol walked to Hoshi’s station and ended the video capture. She looked down at Travis. “Mr. Mayweather, are you capable of piloting still?” “Yes, ma’am.” Travis looked up at her. “We need to scan the planet’s atmosphere.” Archer looked down at his helmsmen. Travis was crying silent tears. Perhaps he was holding it together until he could be alone in the ‘sweet spot’ and then he’d fell apart. But waiting seemed wrong, somehow. “Are we within transporter range, Mr. Mayweather?” T’Pol asked. “Yes, ma’am.” “Do you detect anything?” “No.” T’Pol reached out and touched a companel. “T’Pol to Commander Tucker.” There was a long pause, but T’Pol waited. “What?” Trip said, his voice giving away he was crying. “There is nothing to transport. Perhaps you should check that there was no damage in the lower sections. As I suspect that will take all day. Lieutenant Nelson can take command of engineering for the day.” “Whatever,” Trip said. T’Pol tapped the companel and turned back to Travis. “Mr. Mayweather, take us to the third planet of this system and put us into geosynchronous orbit.” “Aye, ma’am.” T’Pol looked back at Archer. He met her gaze. He knew he should say something, give her an order, but nothing came to mind. His mind was completely blank. “The crew should be informed of this event, Captain.” Archer stared at her. Informed? Of what event? Was he supposed to tell them that Rueben had survived the Expanse only to be killed in an explosion that probably could have been prevented? He had to blame someone. Was it Trip’s fault? Lieutenant Nelson that had transported Trip? Someone was to blame, weren’t they? Wasn’t there someplace to put the blame? Why was he feeling so guilty if it was someone else’s fault? “I can make the announcement if you would prefer.” Archer’s mind grew still. There wasn’t anyone to blame. That shuttle pod had been Rueben’s responsibility. He was in charge of it and he himself had gone over it yesterday. He did everything he could to make that stupid shuttle pod safe, and it fought back with system malfunctions and failing parts. How many times had Rueben fought with Archer to keep any crewmen from taking it? He was as convinced as Malcolm that it had been doomed, he felt there was something he was overlooking that kept it so temperamental. In the end he was right, wasn’t he? The shuttle was unsafe and all his attempts to keep it from killing other crewmen had turned on him. The shuttle pod had finally got what it wanted: a human life. Rage began to build up in Archer, burning his mind with the images and Rueben’s voice. Rueben’s life was going to be the last life that shuttle pod ever took. Today it would die. “I have to take care of something. You have the bridge, T’Pol.” Archer stormed off the bridge. # Trip had laid on his bed for several hours after his tears had dried, debating on what was supposed to happen. It was as if his brain had simply stopped processing any thoughts. And then, suddenly, he had to find Archer, to be near someone he trusted and who would understand his loss. So he’d set out to find him and had been searching for an hour. He’d bumped into a crewman that thought Archer had said he was headed to the shuttle bay. Quietly the crewman had added, “He was pretty drunk, Commander. It was hard to understand him, so I may have heard it wrong, but I think he said he was going to kill something.” Drunk wasn’t normal for Archer. In all the years Trip had known Archer, he’d only seen him drunk twice. The second time was off of alien liquor that was much stronger than they’d been told. The first time Trip had stopped by his house after a funeral and found Archer had consumed a pint of Vodka and had plans to pass out before a second pint was finished. Trip wondered if it had been the person’s death that had made him behave so carelessly, but he never asked. He just crashed at Archer’s apartment to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid while he was drunk. Trip stepped into the shuttle bay, glaring at the shuttle pod that had killed Rueben. Even though the shuttle pod didn’t care about the angry emotion cast at it, it was good to have something to blame. “Piece of shit,” Trip hissed at it as he walked around to the side hatch. He was surprised to find the hatch open and the floor around it littered with part. Panels, wires and circuit boards littered the area. Some had been hacked out, the components attached to them shattered. Whoever had done this, hadn’t cared much about who was going to have to put it back together. Inside something crashed followed by muffled cursing. Trip pulled back two steps when a chair flew out of the door and hit the wall. More crashing and audible cursing followed. Trip inched closer to the door, half expecting the person inside to come flying out and attack him. “Getting ssstubborn won’t ssssave you, you worthless piece of sssshit!” he heard Archer hiss. Trip slowly stepped into the shuttle pod, staring at the floor. Circuit boards, wires, pieces of the consoles, the chairs, monitors, were strewn across the floor. He looked up in time to see a console board flying at him and leapt back. The console crashed into the back, cutting through exposed wires that erupted in a shower of sparks. He looked toward the front, seeing a pair of legs, assumingly Archer’s, under the helm. ZZZZT! “OW! BITCH!” Archer snarled. Archer was drunk, the slur and profanity proved it. Trip approached Archer, watching as Archer’s hands came and went from view, each time full of wires. There was a loud ZZZT! Archer’s hands appeared full of wires. He tossed them out from under the helm. Trip’s toe hit something and he looked down when glass clinked against metal. He stared at the two empty bottles of whiskey lying on the floor amid the rubble. “Sir?” Trip said, looking up. “Hand me that ax.” Trip looked up. Archer was pointing at an ax just out of reach. Trip picked it up and placed the handle into Archer’s hand. Archer started hacking at something. “Sir, what are you doing?” “Taking this fucking board out.” “I meant, sir, why have you completely torn this shuttle pod apart?” “It’s not getting away with murder!” Trip looked down at the pilot’s seat sitting against the wall on its side. Large gashes were cut across the vinyl and most of the stuffing had been ripped out. Trip sat down on it, leaning forward on his legs. “You’re pretty loaded, aren’t you, Jonathan?” If he yelled at Trip for calling him Jonathan, he’d know he was. “DON’T CALL ME JONATHAN! It’s sir or captain, Commander!” Trip nodded. A circuit board flew out from under helm. “About got everything out of there?” Trip asked. “No. I just started under here. I finished the back though.” Trip looked at the back. Finished was an understatement. It was only frame and wires back there, everything else had been ripped out. Trip looked at his hands. “We’re going to have a memorial tomorrow morning, at oh-nine-hundred. You should probably get some sleep so you’re not hung over too bad for it.” “I’m not drunk. I’m still sitting.” Trip looked at the ceiling, a tear sliding down his face. “Why did he have to die like this? I mean…after everything we went through and all those close calls he survived… Why did today have to be the day he died? Why did it have to be with us?” “Because this fucking shuttle pod is a fucking murderer! He was worried it was going to kill someone, just like Malcolm. He was right. I never listened to him. I should have killed this fucking shuttle pod a long time ago.” Trip smiled, nodding. “You never listen to any engineer as well as you should, sir.” There was a short laugh from under the helm. “Yeah, well, this is what I get for it.” “It’s not your fault. This isn’t anyone’s fault.” “It’s the shuttle pod’s fault! It killed him!” “It really isn’t sentient, you know.” “I don’t care. Whatever is wrong with it, it won’t be when I’m done with it.” Trip smiled again. Archer had that part right. When he was done with it, Trip doubted that even the emergency lights would come on. Trip adjusted his seat. He looked down when his toe tapped something. It was a crescent wrench, a large, heavy one, far larger than was needed for most work on the shuttle pod. Trip picked it up, turning it over in his hand. He stood, staring down at the navigation console that was still standing. Suddenly, without a sound, he started beating the navigation console with the wrench. “That’s the spirit!” Archer encouraged. Trip stopped, smiling. He picked up a toolbox and climbed under the helm with Archer. Archer was trying to unfasten screws that held a circuit board in place with just his fingers. Trip pulled out a screwdriver and handed it to him. Archer took it. Trip picked up a wrench and started undoing screws on a panel overhead. “It really is a piece of crap shuttle, isn’t it, Cap’n?” Trip asked. “Yeah. It is. I’ve always hated this shuttle. Never rode well, environmental controls were always off five degrees, and the rehydrator always made the food too dry or too wet.” “Rueben would have enjoyed this.” “I’m sure he would have. So let’s make sure she’s good and dead before we leave.” Both stared when T’Pol slid under the helm next to Trip. She picked up a socket wrench, tried a few sockets on a set of bolts holding a panel on, and started taking it apart. She looked at them. “I overheard your conversation. If you wish it not to be in service when you’re done, another pair of hands could assist.” “The more the merrier,” Archer grunted. The three went back to killing Rueben’s murderer. The next short story is Remembering Sunshine The next Tweens story is Fiction Wins |
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.