The Smallest Alien by A. Rhea King Rating: PG Disclaimer: Don't own them, CBS/Paramount does. Summary: The Enterprise crew discovers a strange device that every race claims is their religious relic. Archer becomes curious about it and doesn't want to give it up to anyone. So when it comes down to saving his crew and relinquishing it, he is torn. CHAPTER 1 Archer jerked awake when he became aware of a beeping. Travis was the only person on the bridge and he hadn’t noticed he’d fallen asleep. Archer sat the PADD in his hand aside, trying to discern where the beeping was coming from. He walked over to the T’Pol’s station, looking at each monitor until he found the culprit. Archer pulled a chair up to the console and tried to figure out how to make the offending system stop beeping. He suddenly became aware of someone standing behind him and turned. T’Pol was watching him with an eyebrow cocked up. “A console is beeping,” Archer explained. T’Pol pulled her arms behind her back. “Captain, I calibrated my equipment two days ago. I would appreciate not having to do it again.” Archer moved out of her way, returning to the captain’s chair and the letter he’d been reading. “We’re picking up a signal, Captain,” Hoshi informed him. He looked up and stared at Hoshi. ‘When did she come onto the bridge?’ “It’s... Three recurring tones and it’s very weak,” Hoshi continued. “Telemetry indicates that it’s three quarters of a light year from our current position,” T’Pol said. “I’m already losing the signal. “Travis, retrace our route at quarter impulse,” Archer ordered. Travis turned Enterprise. “Full halt, Mister Mayweather,” T’Pol ordered. “Take a heading of twelve point three. Stay at quarter impulse.” Travis made the course adjustment. T’Pol brought up her viewer. “Full halt,” she ordered. Several minutes passed. “I have the coordinates, but it appears to have changed course. Ensign Mayweather, adjust your heading twenty meters to port,” T’Pol instructed him. An image appeared on the screen. It showed an almost indiscernible faint blue glow against the black background. The glow was so indiscernible that as it moved, it disappeared in the light of even the faintest stars. The magnification was changed six times before Archer could see it was a silver sphere. “Any bio-signs?” Archer asked her. “Not unless they’re microbe in size, Captain. The object is traveling at warp one.” Archer looked at her. “It’s that small?” “Yes.” “Follow it, Travis.” “Follow it...sir?” Travis looked back at Archer. “This is going to be like trying to track a basketball in the middle of the Atlantic from space!” “Do your best, Travis.” “Call me the Chaser, sir!” Travis replied with a frown. “The Chaser?” “You haven’t heard of a Chaser?” “Can’t say that I have.” “I’ll loan you the books sometime.” Archer smiled, nodding. “In the mean time, follow it, Chaser.” After another six minutes, Travis reported, “We’re within two hundred kilometers, sir. Doesn’t have much of a warp signature.” “Captain, the object’s warp field appears to be unstable and is preventing me from scanning it,” T’Pol told Archer. “I cannot confirm that without Commander Tucker looking at these readings.” The lift opened and Trip walked onto the bridge, staring at the view screen. “Speak of the devil,” Archer joked. “What the heck is that?” Trip asked. “We’re not sure yet. T’Pol needs you to look at some readings.” Trip walked over to her station and leaned on the controls next to her. He let out a long whistle. “This thing’s not much bigger than a basketball and it’s traveling at warp one? That warp drive can’t be much bigger than a grape! It looks like the warp field is going to destabilize in a month or two, if these readings are right.” “The signal’s changed,” Hoshi said. Archer walked over to her station. “To what?” “A different pattern with longer pulses.” “Why don’t I get it out of warp and we bring that thing on board? See what it is,” Trip suggested. “You want to bring it on board?” Malcolm asked. Archer turned, staring at Malcolm. ‘Where did he come from?’ “Trip, just get it out of warp, for Travis’ sake.” Archer smiled when Travis chuckled. “And then let’s see if we can get a scan of it. After that I’ll decide what we’re going to do.” “Send this information to the situation console,” Trip told T’Pol. He stood and walked to the back. Archer sat back down, deciding he was in for a long wait. ‘Caaaaptain,’ a man’s voice whispered. Archer sat up, looking back at Trip. He was engrossed in the readings. Archer turned back to the view screen. # Archer wiped his mouth and sat his napkin on the empty plate on his desk. He reached out to tap a terminal key and froze. The hairs on the back of his neck lifted in response to a feeling of anxiety and being watched. Archer turned, staring out the viewport. ‘Captain Archer,’ a female voice whispered. His heart skipped a beat when the doorbell beeped. “Come in,” Archer said, quickly recollecting himself. Trip stepped in, grinning. “The warp field failed just as I got it out of warp. Guess I was wrong about a few months.” “What have scans revealed?” “There is an object inside, but we can’t get any more readings beyond that.” “Does it look like a weapon?” “Malcolm said yes, but then again, Malcolm always says yes. T’Pol’s chompin’ at the bit to study it. We could take a shuttle pod out and pull it in. Then we’d only be risking two people’s lives instead of eighty.” “No. We’ll bring it into a loading bay.” Archer stood. “Are you sure you want to risk the entire crew?” Trip asked. “We can release it into space if anything goes wrong.” “And the people in there with it if something does?” Archer held Trip’s gaze. He made really good arguments. The feeling of being watched washed over Archer again. ‘Captain Archer!’ the man’s voice whispered. He turned, looking around him. “Something wrong?” Trip asked. “No,” Archer turned back to Trip. “We’ll take the risk.” Archer followed Trip out of his quarters onto the bridge. The view screen was magnified so that the sphere took up the entire screen. The opening the blue glow had emitted from was now dark and he could see heat scoring around the edges. Across the ball indented lines laced patterns, reminding Archer of a circuit board. Archer stood behind Travis, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are those indentations markings or part of its construction?” Archer asked. “There are many questions that have no answers about this device,” T’Pol told Archer. “It has stopped emitting a signal.” Archer looked to Malcolm. “Malcolm, is there anything showing it’s a weapon?” “Not yet, sir.” ‘Jonathan,’ the man’s voice sung. Archer’s stomach tightened into a knot, but he resisted looking around him. “Let’s try our luck. Can you grapple onto it, Travis?” Travis moved to the grapple controls and released one. The grapple flew into view and for a moment looked like it was going to miss the device completely. It attached to the device at the last moment and Travis reeled it in. “Pull it into loading bay two. You have the bridge, Malcolm.” “Aye, sir,” Malcolm replied. Trip, T’Pol, and Archer left the bridge together. Continue to Chapter 2

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