"Reed's Raiders" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 Pairings: R/S implied (and maybe a bit of Hayes/Sato). TnT Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em, don’t make money off ‘em. Notes: Remember those old radio programs, where you had to use your imagination as you heard the story unfold? That gave me an idea for this chapter. Four “We got people resistin’ on all decks,” Trip reported. “A group in the Armory, the bunch here in Engineering, and I hear Chef and Cunningham pelted the Nausicaans there with last night’s chicken soup. Reheated and studded with chopped chiles, if I heard Cunningham right.” “Yeech,” Hoshi said with a wince. “That had to hurt.” T’Pol nodded, impressed with human ingenuity in the face of overwhelming odds. “Any word from either Lieutenant Reed’s or Major Hayes’s team?” “None. As far as we know, they’re still racin’ each other. When they get back, they’re gonna have one hell of a surprise. We gotta retake the ship ‘fore they get back, or the Nausicaans might blow ‘em out of the sky.” T’Pol glanced at the warp core and asked, “You took the warp drive off-line?” “An’ blocked helm access to impulse. We ain’t goin’ anywhere. Hoshi, is there a way to let Malcolm or Hayes know what’s happened to Enterprise?” “Not without knowing exactly where they are,” Hoshi replied with a rueful shake of her head. “Malcolm’s beacon was in an asteroid; if they’re inside it, it’ll be impossible to hail them.” Crewman Masaro called from the upper deck, “Sub-commander, Commander, Ensign, you might want to hear this.” They climbed the ladder to Masaro’s side. He sat at one of the consoles and continued, “I tried patching in those cross-circuits like you suggested, Ensign Sato. I think we’re going to have company.” “The Nausicaans called their friends?” Trip asked with a sinking feeling in his gut. “Um...sort of.” The speakers roared, then settled into a conversation. “...welcome here. We are having some trouble with resistance from Archer’s crew; they’re quite annoying.” “Well, you just have to know how to drag them out of hiding,” came an irritated voice. Trip started and glanced at T’Pol, whose eyebrow climbed to her hairline and stayed there. “Is that...Malcolm?” Trip asked in a hushed whisper. Hoshi nodded, thunderstruck. “That sounds like him.” “Quiet,” T’Pol ordered. “...my team has experience in such things. We can take care of them in one fell swoop.” There was a pause. “Take care of it, will you?” A new voice broke in. “We’re gonna do it without any guarantee this sorry excuse for a pirate won’t double cross us? I want some compensation.” “Holy—“ Trip whispered. The tone was wholly unlike the one he was used to from this particular person. “Hayes??” Hoshi clapped her hands over her mouth and tried to stifle her giggles. “I’ve never heard the major whine like that before. He sounds like a petulant five-year-old.” T’Pol looked like she was going to make a comment, but chose not to share it. Her mouth twitched once, but she sternly brought it under control. That one gesture was more than enough for Trip and Hoshi to know what the Vulcan was thinking. “He’s right. Can we stun the Nausicaans? Just for fun?” came a woman’s voice. “That’s Sascha. Corporal Money,” Hoshi clarified. Malcolm paused, then said, “Only if they interfere. All right, any booty or valuables you pick up, you’re welcome to it.” Then Travis’s voice piped up, “That includes women?” Someone tittered, then Hawkins, of all people, snapped, “God, are you that desperate?” Hoshi lost it; the vision of a quiet one like Hawkins saying such a thing was too much. She laughed so hard she had to wrap her arms around herself to keep her ribs from flying off. Trip only shook his head in complete and utter astonishment. Masaro looked like he wanted off this ship of loonies. And most of the Engineering crew had crowded the deck and the ladder to overhear the conversation. And everyone hung on to every word that was being said, as if it was one of those ancient radio programs like “The Shadow” or “Superman.” “Is this being aired to the rest of the ship?” Trip asked. Masaro glanced at Hoshi, who looked at the readings on the console. She nodded. “Oh God,” someone muttered. “You lookin’ for someone in particular?” sniggered a gravelly voice. Gunny Sergeant McGruyver. “Someone exotic?” Hayes broke in. “I prefer brunette beauties myself. Small, slight and feisty. If I find her, I’ll make sure she’s worth our while.” Hoshi coughed, causing everyone in the room to stare at her. “I doubt the major referred to you specifically, Ensign,” T’Pol said blandly. Trip muttered something that T’Pol didn’t catch, but Hoshi did, and Hoshi glared at him. Then Malcolm’s voice returned, “If you find her, bring her to me. If you hurt any of the females, I will personally snap your neck.” And judging from the icy tone, Malcolm would, too. “Take your team and round up the defenders. Tell them we mean business and if they don’t cooperate, they will regret it.” There was a pause, then Hayes replied, “Go to hell. No one orders me around.” Engineering was so quiet; Trip figured he could drop his spanner and no one would notice. “Don’t you think they’re overdoing it a bit?” he whispered. “I believe that if the Nausicaans think the lieutenant’s group is fractured, then the Nausicaans will overplay their hand,” T’Pol commented. “I dunno. They sound pretty genuinely pissed at each other. And they damn near killed each other in the gym—“ “Sssssh!” everyone hushed him. It reminded Trip of Movie Nights in the Mess Hall. No one appreciated his whispered commentaries there, either. There was the sound of scuffling, some yelling, then an abrupt silence. Then someone—Bernhard Mueller?—commented, “Ach, meine Gute. Ouch.” The Nausicaan came back on and asked, “I’ve seen that move before. Klingon?” Malcolm’s voice was smug as he replied, “He was helpless against it the first time, too.” There was a small cheer among the Engineering group; this time it was Trip who shushed them. “You surprised me with it then, too,” Hayes grumbled, but he sounded a lot more cordial. “Just you wait until I find a counter to it.” “Think about it...while you round up the crew,” Malcolm said. “Tell them what we’re here for. If you find any of the senior officers that are missing, bring them to me. No exceptions, and if I hear you’ve damaged any of the merchandise, I’ll kill you.” Hayes snorted, then there was the sound of boots on the deck, presumably of Hayes’s team splitting off to follow orders. Then Malcolm’s voice faded as he said to the Nausicaan, “I assume you have Archer? Perhaps we can make a deal with...” T’Pol glanced at Hoshi and Masaro. “Can we track Lieutenant Reed?” Hoshi shook her head and replied, “Not unless he goes by another open line, or he flips open his communicator where I can trace him...and that’ll give him away, if he’s playing pirate.” “What about the major?” “Same thing, Sub-Commander.” “I got an idea,” Trip spoke up. “Didn’t Malcolm say that he’s lookin’ for any of the senior officers who’s ‘escaped’? What if one of us sets ourselves up to be ‘captured’ by one of their teams? We can find out just what they’re planning, an’ maybe help ‘em with the Nausicaans.” T’Pol’s eyebrow shot up again. “Assuming that is an option...which one of us shall be the bait?” Trip and Hoshi looked at each other in silent communication. The silence stretched on for a few moments, then Hoshi sighed and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I’ll do it,” she said, “but if Hayes or Malcolm tries anything, I’m gonna kill ‘em.” Back to Part 3 Continue to Part 5

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.