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"The Deidra" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG CHAPTER 4 Archer appeared on the transporter pad with the six others. “You were saying Captain Archer?” Sista asked with a knowing smile. “I hate transporters,” Archer grumbled. Sista walked off the pad toward the door. She led them into a gray and maroon colored hall with soft lights. “Diedra, initiate plasma core. Report.” “Plasma core initiating. Running at ninety-seven percent capacity,” the voice replied. “You’re talking to the ship’s computer, aren’t you?” Trip asked. “Ta,” Sista answered with a smile. “Diedra, prepare ship for launch.” The seven came out of the hall onto the bridge. In the center of the bridge were two consoles with chairs behind them. Behind it were three chairs in a row. To the right was a console with a chair and to the left was another console with a chair. Situated in nooks at the back of the bridge were two more consoles with chair. Sista slid into one of the front console chairs. “Zintar, weapons,” Sista ordered. “Aye captain,” Zintar replied, sitting down at a console. “Trip, I want you to sit at navigation so you can initiate it for Diedra. She needs help when she has to load star charts quickly.” Sista pointed to the console to her left. “Everyone needs to sit.” Archer and Malcolm sat down in the chairs in the middle of the bridge. The two crewmen sat down in the chairs behind the consoles in the nooks. “Why aren’t there any Oripreks on here?” Archer asked. “Diedra has a security shield that only Zintar or I can disable. It’s been in place since we landed when I realized we’d been tricked. Diedra, we need to launch. Report.” “Sequences at eighty-seven percent. Hostiles attacking, Captain,” Diedra reported. “Zintar, wide stun array.” “Aye,” Zintar responded. Archer looked at Sista. “What does Sista mean?” Archer asked. “Captain,” Sista answered. “Your name is Captain?” Sista laughed. “No. My name is Vardee.” “Then why have you let everyone call you Sista?” “By the time I realized the translation of it had been misunderstood, everyone was used to calling me Sista.” Archer smiled. “That was a large misunderstanding.” “Not really. I am Captain. Captain Vardee. Just not Captain of your ship,” Sista said. “Hostiles temporarily disabled, Captain,” Zintar reported. “Prepeations for launch complete. Launch will commence in...” The computer began counting down from ten seconds. “Diedra, bring up full screen. Navigation screen lower right square. Weapons, lower left square.” In front of them the empty space lit a holographic view screen that showed outside the ship with a hundred and twenty degree view. In front of the two consoles at the bottom of the view screen were statistics of the weapons and a navigational view. “Load star charts for this solar system,” Sista ordered. “Transfer navigation to weapons control. Transfer remaining controls to helm. Beta, pi, two, two, Vardee. Once the transfer is complete, begin launch sequence. Trip,” Sista leaned over, pointing to two dark lines with small bars on it. “See this?” Trip nodded. “When Diedra is ready for the navigation to engage, two lights on the bottom will come on. Put fingers on them and run your fingers up fast. Do not wait. We are going to be surrounded here shortly if we do not get off this launch pad.” Trip nodded. Sista turned back to her controls. “Launch in five seconds ...” The computer continued counting down. Trip saw the two lights Sista had told him about and slid his fingers up the bars. The console suddenly lit up with star charts and controls labeled in a language he didn’t understand. “Now what?” Trip asked. “Matrix control from navigation not responding,” the computer reported. “Unable to transfer all of navigation to weapons.” Sista said a word that did not translate followed by, “Hold on. We’re flying out of here really fast.” “...One. Launch in progress,” the computer said. The ship shuddered slightly and shot off the launch pad toward the stars above. The force of the planet’s gravity suddenly vanished and the stars stopped racing. “Diedra to Enterprise,” Sista said. “Enterprise,” T’Pol replied. “We have you on screen, Sista.” “Zintar, lay in a course. Enterprise, two Oriprek ship are closing on your position. Two more are following me from the surface,” Sista said. “Preparing to engage in combat,” T’Pol said. “Zintar, arm proton missiles. Tubes three and four.” “Armed, sir.” “Diedra, bring interface templates online. Create template from English language,” Sista ordered. “Template for English language compiling. Compile complete and ready to install.” “Translate navigation controls to English language and overlay navigation controls with template. Restore all navigation control to the navigation console.” In front of Trip a holographic image appeared and the labels for the controls were now in English. “Trip, locate the two approaching Oriprek warships and send coordinates to weapons.” Trip touched the controls and locked on the two ships. “Targets locked,” Zintar reported. “Target their weapons. Fire at will, Zintar.” Zintar fired the torpedoes. “Report Zintar.” “One ship down. Second torpedo missed.” “Ah man. We got company coming. Five more just appeared on sensors.” Trip motioned to the screen. “We have no more torpedoes. Missiles off line, Captain,” Zintar said. “Charge gunnery,” Sista said. “Locate next target, Trip.” “Enterprise to Diedra,” T’Pol said. “Diedra here,” Sista replied. “We are closing on your position. Do you require assistance?” The Diedra rocked from a hit. “Shields down to eighty-five percent,” the computer reported. “Do you have the target yet Trip?” Sista said. “Almost.” “Shields down to seventy-eight percent,” the computer reported. “Hold position Enterprise. Locate the target Trip,” Sista insisted. “I’m trying.” The ship rocked again. “Shields down to sixty-five percent,” the computer reported. “Locate the damned target Trip!” Archer ordered. “I’M TRYING!” Trip yelled. “Target acquired.” “Lock on weapons and firing,” Zintar said. “Target hit and weapons disabled.” “The other ships are falling back. No more are in pursuit,” Trip reported. “Diedra to Enterprise.” “Enterprise here,” T’Pol answered. “Does Enterprise have a space I can dock Diedra?” “A loading bay might hold her,” Archer answered. “She should fit into a loading bay, T’Pol.” “Loading bay six is empty. I’ll open the doors.” “Acknowledged. Diedra out.” Archer got up and walked up behind Sista, laying his hands on her chair. Sista looked up at him. “Did I do something wrong?” “No. You did a good job, Captain.” Archer patted Sista’s shoulder. Sista smiled. Archer stood up, watching as the Enterprise come closer on the view screen. # Archer pushed the button outside the door of the loading bay and stepped in. He stopped just inside, admiring the Diedra. It was strange how the ship, while not even his, made him proud of her. Archer walked around her to the loading door on the other side, running his hands on her underside as he walked. Her metal was cold but smooth. A lot like the Enterprise metal had felt when he touched it before it was sent out of the loading bay doors to be assembled. Archer stepped on board and turned, walking down the gray and maroon hallways. Inside the Diedra not even the steady drone of Enterprise’s warp engine could be heard. Archer paused to look inside each door. Archer came to the bridge and sat down in the captain’s chair. He looked around the bridge, wondering what it was like to have a full crew on board this vessel. Archer got up and wandered down another hall. One of the doors opened into a room with consoles and a tube filled with a liquid substance in it. Archer heard people talking and turned. He saw two pairs of feet sticking out of a panel. “Ah-hum,” Archer said, and then cleared his throat. Sista and Trip both came out of the opening. “I thought Malcolm was here too,” Archer said. “Back here, sir,” Malcolm’s voice said. Archer turned. Malcolm was sitting at a console across the room. Archer smiled, looking around the room. “What is this room?” Archer asked, suspecting he knew the answer. “You would call it...uhm...engineering,” Sista said. “What’s this?” Archer pointed to the tube in the center of the room. “Plasma core.” Archer looked down at her. “Plasma core?” “Like your engine. Life longer. Make ship faster in warp. Faster in fight.” “Really.” Sista nodded. Archer nodded, looking at the plasma core. Archer looked down at Trip and Sista again. “I almost put you three on a missing persons list.” Trip looked down, smiling. Sista looked confused. “We not missing.” “He’s joking, Sista,” Trip said. “Oh.” Sista smiled. “Not get joke.” Archer smiled. He crouched down, looking in the opening. “What are you two doing in there anyway?” “Try to figure out to put in gel pack for energy conversion,” Sista answered. “Gel packs?” Sista nodded. She motioned to the opening. “K’pan look?” Archer moved into the opening and saw what she was talking about. There was a container with a pinkish gel like substance in it. “And these are used to convert energy?” Archer asked. “Ta.” Archer moved out of the opening and sat down. “You’re ship is far more advanced than Enterprise is.” “You ain’t even seen the half of it, Captain,” Trip said. “Nor the weapons they have, sir,” Malcolm commented. “How many does the Diedra hold, Sista?” “She okay to hold twenty four. No more. Meant for battle and must not carry lots of things on her.” “Well, I’m glad she’s with us now.” Archer looked at Sista and Trip. “You three need to get cleaned up. We have class in two hours.” Archer looked around the room again. “Class?” Trip asked. “OH!” Sista put her hand on Trip’s arm. “The children. They have class with Earth children today.” “I completely forgot about that.” Trip jumped up and held his hand out for Sista. She took it and stood. “Malcolm, we need to hurry. I forget! Children very upset if Sista not go. Meet in class K’pan?” Archer nodded. “See you in class, sir,” Malcolm said as he walked around Archer to the door, following Trip and Sista out of engineering. Archer got to his feet and walked to the console Malcolm was at. The holographic overlay was still on but in Varlikon. “Diedra,” Archer said. There was a beep. “Can you convert the databases to English?” “Specify which database.” “The one on screen in engineering.” “Converting.” The information came up in English. “You’re a good ship Diedra.” Archer smiled to himself. There was a beep. “Please rephrase command,” the computer said. Archer smiled. “Play some music. Anything. By anyone.” A soft instrumental melody began playing. Archer chuckled. He could get used to a ship like this.
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