The BLTS Archive - Cold Comfort
#3: Comfortare
by Kalita Kasar (kalitafic@hotmail.com)

---

Spoilers: Shuttle-Pod One, Precious Cargo

Comments: I like diet coke with vanilla.

The description of gravimetric field displacement is borrowed from a
description used a few years ago in a Trek RPG simulation I was
involved in. I don't know if it is accurate or not, but it sounds
plausible, so I have used it here. I don't claim to be any kind of
expert on techno-babble.

Any spelling mistakes are mine I don't have word installed yet, hence
no spell check.

Part 10 has a body count. Two dead, no one important so I don't think
it warrants being called death-fic, but I added the warning anyway.
The two crewmen, as far as I know are entirely my own creation,
although the name of one of them niggles me as being familiar .that
might just be because his name is a derivative of someone I know irl
or I may have used his name in something else I've written. Anyway, if
he is canon I apologize.lol! Also many thanks and much blame to Brian
on this part for the bunny food he sent me.if nerf bats are to be used
then he deserves at least a small percentage of the beating :p

Archived to EntSTSlash on 07/08/2003. Archived at EntSTCommunity with
the author's express permission.

---

Comfortare--To strengthen greatly, to reinforce, to console. "The
touch of your hand in passing, so light, so swift, / that no-one else
suspects it's loving reassurance--/ That touch sustains me through the
hardest day." --Marion C Garretty. b. 1917.

---

"Your love is comfort in sadness, quietness in tumult, rest in
weariness, Hope in despair." --Marrion C. Garretty b. 1917.

---

"Did all that stuff really happen?" Charles Tucker III lay spooned
against his lover's back in Malcolm's quarters. After an evening at
the movies, they had returned to Reed's cabin for a midnight snack and
a leisurely session of lovemaking. In the afterglow, both were relaxed
and sleepy.

"Hmm?" Reed lifted his head from the pillows and glanced over his
shoulder.

"That stuff on Surrumar..." Tucker clarified. "Seems like some kinda
crazy dream now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Reed rested his head back on the pillows; after a moment he
rolled over, gazing into Tucker's eyes. "Trip," he said softly. "We
never really talked about that, did we...or about what went on
beforehand." His blue-grey eyes clouded for a moment. "I think we
should..."

Tucker nodded. They had left Surrumar behind about a week ago, and
neither man had felt ready, until now to raise the subject. "Yeah, I
think we should, too."

Malcolm drew a deep breath. "I need to ask you a question that I
should have asked at the very beginning but..." Reed sighed. I was too
blinded by my own hurt, he thought. "Charles," he went on softly.
"Tell me what happened on that planet. With Kaitaama."

"Malcolm, you saw what happened..." Tucker began but was silenced with
a shake of Reed's head.

"I saw," Malcolm said. "I need to hear it...from you. All of it, what
happened, how you felt. Everything. Please." He watched as Tucker's
eyes clouded with uncertainty and his lover turned onto his back,
staring up at the ceiling. "Charles..."

Tucker glanced at him and nodded. "Okay," he said softly. "I went on
board that ship to repair a stasis pod...you know all about that, the
Retelliens gave us that whole crock about Kaitaama bein' a doctor an'
all. Anyway, while I was workin' on the pod something went wrong and
she woke up..." Tucker sighed. "I couldn't just leave her in there,
she was gonna suffocate. I had to let her out...I'm not sorry I did,
but I sure wish I hadn't been the one that went over there."

Reed sighed and put a hand on Tucker's forearm where it rested across
his lover's chest. "Go on," he prompted.

Well, bout the first thing she did when she got out was thank me with
a crow bar across the back of my head."

"Charming!" Reed couldn't stop a snort of laughter.

"Yeah." Tucker shook his head. "She wasn't a very nice person. I
didn't even like her!"

Reed frowned and raised up on one elbow, looking into his lover's
eyes. "So...you were stuck with her on board that cargo ship, she
tried to beat you senseless...you didn't like her. Yet..."

"I know...I know how it sounds," Tucker said. "It sounds crazy and I
agree with ya." He sighed. "So anyway, I figured if I repaired that
pod and the Retelliens got her back in stasis, they wouldn't have
anymore use for me, so I decided it was time I found a way outta
there."

"You got out, stole an escape pod and piloted it, alien controls and
language notwithstanding, to that water planet." Reed smiled and his
eyes gleamed with pride. "That was something more than a minor
miracle, Mister Tucker."

Tucker glanced at his lover and grinned. "I was just doin' whatever I
could do to stay alive, Malcolm." his smile faded. "And even then we
damn near didn't make it." He bit his lip. "I got the braking
thrusters to fire, but it was a little too late. The pod came down
hard on the surface. There was some kinda gas venting into the cabin,
so we bailed out." He paused and then went on. "If I thought she was
nasty before, she proved it after that. She was bossy...bitchy...she
expected me t'do everythin', wait on her hand an' foot."

"Well, she was a princess, used to having servants at her beck and
call...you could have cut her a little slack."

"I guess." Tucker looked into Malcolm's eyes. "There was one thing she
said that reminded me of you."

"Oh? And that was?" Reed traced his thumb across Tucker's lips
preventing him from replying for a moment. "I'm glad you were at least
thinking of me at some point."

"Some point? I was thinkin' of you from the minute I realized those
ba...that I was stuck on their ship with no way out." He shook his
head. "So anyway, we're on the planet and she's insisting that I let
her treat some little scratch I got in the landing. She said: 'You're
my only hope for survival on this planet, Mister Tucker, I don't
intend to let you die!'" Tucker sighed. "It reminded me of the time
you an' I were trapped on shuttle-pod one. It's lucky she reminded me
of that...it was the only reason I let her touch me. That an' I
decided right then; I wanted to live and come back to you more'n I
wanted to be contrary an' risk an infection."

"I'm grateful to her for that, then."

Tucker's eyes clouded over then, and he went very still.

"Then...it happened?" Malcolm prompted.

"Yeah, an' I've been askin' myself ever since...why? Why did I do
that? I didn't like her, I wasn't attracted to her. Until she kissed
me, I wasn't even thinkin' of...that kinda thing, I was only worried
about findin' food, an' workin' out some way to contact Enterprise."

"The survival instinct is a funny thing, Trip." Malcolm sighed. "I
should have realized this before...it's a part of our training...or it
was for me. I don't know if Engineers are taught exactly the same
things that Ordnance officers are.

"You're tellin' me that sex is a part of trainin' in ordnance?" Tucker
raised himself on an elbow and met his lover's eyes. "You're kiddin'
me!"

"Well, not the act itself." Reed chuckled. "But we were told, that
sexual arousal is common in a life and death situation. That it's not
uncommon to feel that drive even when you feel nothing else."

"Damn!" Tucker smiled broadly. "That's right! They mentioned that...I
didn't even think of that!" He sat up and looked earnestly into Reed's
eyes. "An' I can tell ya I wasn't feelin' anythin' else."

"I know." Reed nodded. "I felt that, when we were on Surrumar." He
sighed and looked away. "I behaved like a jealous ass," he murmured.
"I'm sorry."

"No." Tucker put a finger under Reed's chin and made him look up.
"Don't ever be sorry for that, Malcolm...I'd be worried if ya weren't
jealous. Bein' jealous means you care...that's not somethin' to be
sorry about."

Reed smiled. "Thank you," he said simply, "For understanding...and now
it's my turn." He lowered his eyes for a second and then looked into
Tucker's eyes. "About that night on the observation deck."

---

Captain Jonathan Archer made his way towards Malcolm Reed's cabin. He
frowned deeply, recalling the conversation he'd just had over the
sub-space relay. He didn't like having to disturb his two senior
officers at this late hour, but he had promised his caller that he
would get back to him. He sighed as he stopped outside the armory
officer's cabin.

Archer sounded the doorchime and waited for an answer.

"Come in?" Malcolm's voice called.

Archer pressed the door control and stepped into the room. He glanced
around and nodded to Tucker who was seated by Malcolm's desk and then
he looked at Reed who was sitting on the edge of his bed. He could
almost sense the after-passage of quick movement and he suppressed a
smile.

"You didn't need to move on my account," he said to Tucker and was
amused to see a hint of red touch the commander's cheeks. He sobered
after a moment, and glanced from one to the other. "I've just had a
call from D'Iarin," he said.

Both men shifted position and glanced at each other.

"It seems the Surrumaran council wants to hold an enquiry into
D'Naida's actions," the captain said. "They want you both to give
evidence."

Malcolm swallowed hard and his eyes sought Tucker's.

"Y'mean, we'd havta go back?" Tucker asked.

"Yes. If you want to. Trip, Malcolm, I'm not going to make either of
you do anything you're not comfortable with."

"Thank you, Captain." Reed's voice was low, and his eyes were clouded
with worry as he went on. "I don't relish the idea of going back."

Archer sighed and nodded. "I told D'Iarin I'll have an answer for him
by morning...would you like some time to talk it over?"

"Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks, Cap'n."

"All right, I'll expect your answer by 0800." Archer nodded to them
both. "Whatever you decide, is fine with me. Goodnight." Archer moved
to the door and let himself out. He was well aware of what he was
asking of the pair, and he personally wouldn't blame them at all if
they decided they never wanted to set foot on Surrumaran soil again.

---

Jonathan Archer was in his ready room the following morning reading
reports and trying not to think about the decision he'd left with Trip
and Malcolm a few hours earlier. He glanced up when the door-chime
sounded and turned to face the door. "Come," he called.

He wasn't surprised to see Tucker and Reed step into the room
together.

With a nod, he got to his feet. "Good morning," he said.

"Cap'n," Tucker said with an answering nod. Reed remained silent, but
acknowledged the captain's greeting with a bob of his head.

There was a brief silence and then Tucker spoke. "We've decided what
to do about this Surrumaran thing," he said. "We want to go back,
Cap'n." A pause as the two made eye contact and Reed nodded slightly.
"But we wanna make some things real clear first."

"Go ahead," Archer glanced from one to the other.

"We hafta be together," Tucker said. "And...I'd be real happy if we
didn't have to spend nights on the planet. But...if we do, I'd really
like it if the room I wake up in every mornin' is the same one I fall
asleep in at night."

Archer nodded his agreement. "I'll make that clear to D'Iarin," he
said. "While you're here, I've got a few stipulations I'm going to
make." He grinned as two pairs of eyes snapped to his face. "I had a
feeling you'd choose to go back, so I gave it some thought. One, we
all go to the planet together, and we all leave together; no one gets
left behind for any reason." He saw them both nod. "Two, none of the
Surrumaran will be permitted to have physical contact with any
crew-member without his or her consent; and three, we're there as a
courtesy to the Surrumaran council. If we feel threatened in any way,
or they don't uphold our terms...I'm ready to take affirmative action
against them."

Tucker let out a breath. "Thanks, Sir."

Reed added his agreement and Archer nodded. "All right, I'll contact
D'Iarin immediately." He turned to his communications console as the
two men left.

---

I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter.perhaps it's
just too light and nice LOL.but here it is anyway.

---

"Are you sure we're doin' the right thing?" Tucker glanced at his
lover as they stepped out of the captain's ready room. He kept his
voice low, for Malcolm's ears only, and looked into Reed's eyes.

"Yes," Malcolm said softly. "It will be all right, Trip." For a brief
moment, his fingers grazed the back of Tucker's hand before he stepped
away from his lover and moved to his console.

Tucker watched Malcolm walk across the bridge and then he collected
himself and made his way to the lift. As the doors closed, Tucker
studied Malcolm's face in profile, noting the tension in the
lieutenant's jaw. It was subtle, but it was there and only someone who
knew him as well as Tucker did would have noticed it. The engineer bit
down on his bottom lip as his view of his lover was cut off. {I really
hope you know what you're doin', Malcolm,} he thought as he pushed the
button for engineering.

He couldn't be sure afterwards if it was just the fact that he was
already wound up with thinking of what lay ahead of them on Surrumar,
or if some other circumstance of fate had conspired, but the morning
turned sour almost as soon as he walked into engineering.

It started out with one of his staff being injured when a relay she
was working on blew out unexpectedly. The young woman received severe
burns to her hands and face in the resulting arc.

Tucker had only just got her taken to sickbay and began to fill out a
report about the accident when he was commed by Travis Mayweather.

"Commander, I'm having some problems with power feeds," Travis said.

"Yeah! I'm on it, Travis!" Tucker winced, knowing his tone was sharper
than usual. "I'll do my best to get it sorted out within the next hour
or two." He sighed as he closed the comm link. Right about now he
could have really used a quick visit with his lover. Tucker closed his
eyes and rested his forehead against the warm metal of the warp
reactor, recalling the brief and hardly noticeable touch of Reed's
hand on his before they parted on the bridge that morning. He sighed
and pushed away from the reactor, glancing at the chrono. Another hour
and he could meet Malcolm for lunch. He turned to a computer screen,
frowning over the readouts.

"C'mon, darlin'," he murmured to the engines. "Tell ol' Trip what's
worryin ya huh?"

The problem was close enough to being resolved by the time his meal
break came, that Tucker felt comfortable leaving it with Rostov. He
made a detour past sickbay on his way to the mess-hall to check in on
Markovich. The crewman was resting, her hands swathed in bandages and
the left side of her face coated with some noxious looking green goop.
Tucker moved to the bedside and smiled down at her. "Hey, Dell," he
said softly, "How're you doin'?"

"Hi Commander," Markovich said. Her speech was a little slurred and he
guessed that Phlox had her on some strong pain relief. "I'm going to
be okay, the doctor says." She tried to smile and then grimaced as the
movement of facial muscles caused the burns to sting. "He says I
should be back at work in a few days."

"Well, there's no rush," Tucker said. "You just rest up and
concentrate on gettin' better."

"Yessir." Markovich gave him a half smile this time. Tucker patted her
on the shoulder and turned to leave.

On his way out, he was met by Phlox.

"I heard that you and Lieutenant Reed have decided to return to
Surrumar," the doctor said.

"Yeah," Tucker replied. "Malcolm thinks it's the right thing to do,
even though I can tell he's..." Tucker trailed off, unsure how much he
should say to Phlox without Malcolm being present.

"Undoubtedly it is a daunting prospect," Phlox said, "But if you want
my opinion, I agree with the lieutenant." His open features drew into
the closest thing Tucker had ever seen to a scowl from Phlox. "That
young female needs to be made aware that her actions concerning
yourself and Mister Reed were completely unacceptable!"

Tucker raised an eyebrow. He'd known that the doctor was not happy
about the situation on the alien planet, but he hadn't realized the
depth of the Denobulan's anger. He nodded and glanced towards
Markovich. "Is Dell gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Oh yes, in time." Phlox smiled and nodded. "Burns are easy enough to
treat. She'll need ongoing physical therapy, but she will be back at
work within the week. Don't worry."

"Thanks, Doc." Tucker hesitated and then added. "For everythin'."

The doctor nodded an acknowledgement, his expression showing that he
knew the thanks was for more than just his care of Markovich. "My
pleasure, Commander."

Malcolm was already sitting at their usual table, with a bowl of soup
in front of him when Tucker finally arrived in the mess-hall. Tucker
ordered a cup of coffee from the resequencer and carried it over to
the table.

Reed looked up and smiled when Tucker joined him. "You're late," he
chided playfully.

"Yeah, sorry." Tucker sat down and rubbed at his face with one hand.
"I've had a hell of a mornin' in engineerin'," he said.

"I couldn't help noticing you were a trifle sharp with Travis over the
comms?" The offer to let him vent was unmistakable, and Tucker
sighed.

"Dell Markovich got hurt when a relay burned out," he muttered. "She's
in sickbay."

"Ah." Reed took a mouthful of soup. "Serious?"

"Burns. Both hands and her face. Phlox says she'll be okay."

Reed reached across the table and his fingers touched Tucker's.
"Sorry," he said.

Tucker nodded and let his breath out on a sigh. "Thanks." He looked
into Reed's eyes. "I guess I'm just a little wound up." He turned his
hand over and linked his finger's with Reed's for a moment before the
contact was broken.

"Mind if I join you?"

Both men looked up to find Hoshi standing by their table.

"Sure."

"Please."

"Thanks." Hoshi sat down. "You'll never guess what happened," she said
as she picked up a fork and began to eat the salad she had brought to
the table with her.

"Probably not," Reed said, "so why not save us the effort and tell us
whatever it is you're bursting to share."

Hoshi made a face at him across the table and rolled her eyes at
Tucker. "Honestly," she said. "I don't know what you see in such a
dull stick in the mud."

Tucker almost choked on a mouthful of coffee, and was forced to
quickly set the mug down. He glanced around and then met her eyes. "So
what wouldn't we guess happened?"

"Well, you remember when I was talking to you on Surrurmar the day
that...um.." Hoshi trailed off suddenly and met Tucker's eyes. "You
know what, maybe I shouldn't...I mean maybe you don't want to be
reminded..."

Tucker shook his head. "It's okay, Hoshi. I don't mind talkin' about
it."

Sato nodded and her lovely features softened with relief. "Well, you
know when I was talking to you, and I had all those packages?"

Tucker nodded.

"When you were taken, I dropped them and ran. I didn't even think of
going back for them. I forgot all about them because of all that went
on after that...but...anyway, apparently the captain has been in
contact with the planet again and...This is really great...they sent
the packages I lost to the ship this morning. Something about a
gesture of good faith. They even replaced a couple of items that got
broken when I dropped them."

Tucker and Reed glanced at each other across the table.

"That's great, Hoshi." Tucker smiled and took another sip of coffee.
"That's real nice of 'em."

"Is it true that we're going back to Surrumar?" Hoshi bit her lip and
looked from one to the other. "I don't pry...but being the
communications officer I...hear things, you know."

Reed nodded. "Yes, we're going back." He looked at Tucker. "It was our
choice," he said. "We need to resolve a few issues there."

Hoshi sighed. "I think that's really brave of you," she said. "I don't
think I would want to do that if I was in the same position, you know?
I'd probably just want to send a written deposition or something."

Tucker chuckled. "For someone who just accidentally overheard, you
sure seem to know a lot about why we're goin' back." He laughed
outright at Sato's obvious confused embarrassment. "It's okay, Hoshi."

Reed grinned from his side of the table. "It will probably be common
knowledge soon enough anyway."

Tucker sighed and glanced at the chrono on the wall. Time had gone by
too fast. He shifted in his seat. "I guess I should be heading back,"
he said reluctantly. He looked across the table at Reed. "See you
tonight."

Reed got to his feet. "I'd best be going too," he said. "I'll walk
with you."

They said goodbye to Hoshi and left the mess together.

In the corridor, Reed took hold of Tucker's elbow and pulled him to a
stop. After glancing both ways along the hall he pushed his lover
against the wall and pressed close to him. "I can see you need
something to keep you going until 17:00," he whispered.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Only to me..." Reed breathed an instant before his mouth captured
Tucker's in a tender kiss full of passion and promise. His tongue
flickered across the engineer's lips, seeking entry until they parted,
allowing him in. Reed explored his lover's mouth and one hand made its
way between them, gently massaging the growing hardness he found
between Tucker's thighs. He poured all his love and desire for his
lover into the kiss and when he broke away they were both breathing
hard.

"Now go keep that engine purrin' Mister Tuckah," Malcolm said in a
playful imitation of the engineer's accent. "I want it firing on all
'thrusters' when our shifts end..."

"Oh yeah," Tucker sighed. "You can rest assured o' that, Lewtenent!"

Later that afternoon, the captain announced that they were making a
change of course, and instructed Travis Mayweather to lay in a course
for Surrumar.

---

As Enterprise cruised through space en-route to Surrumar, most of the
alpha and beta shifts were asleep, or at least enjoying their off
time.

Malcolm Reed was asleep, alone in his quarters, but his rest was
fitful and he turned restlessly. He dreamed that he was back on
Surrumar.

The room was the same as he remembered it, and he was alone. {I
thought we told the captain that we must be accommodated together}
Reed moved to the windows, where a tentative touch revealed they were
force-field protected as they had been previously. Reed swallowed hard
and turned in a circle. Again, he found no exit from the room. It was
exactly as it had been the last time he was on Surrumar. "Trip?" he
moved through the three rooms finding it all identical to his uneasy
memories. "D'Naida?"

"Hello, Reed." Her voice. Malcolm froze, his blood running cold. "Let
me out of this room!" The demand sounded feeble even to his own ears.
"You know our terms...you can't keep me here."

"I can do what I like...I can reach you, even now, Reed. Don't return
to Surrumar; You will regret it."

"I'm not afraid of you!"

"You should be."

"There's nothing you can do to me..." He looked around, {This is only
a dream,} he told himself. "You can't hurt me or anyone else. Let me
out!"

"I can hurt more than you realize. I have already."

A scene opened up before him, a young female crewman working in
engineering. A sudden flash and the air was filled with her cries of
pain. Reed frowned. Reed watched as Tucker ran to the young crewman's
aid.

"That's not true! It was just an accident."

"It's as true as I can make it. I could easily change who was hurt..."

The scene changed and it was Tucker writhing in pain on the floor.

"No!"


Reed woke with a start. He breathed a sigh of relief to find himself
in his own cabin aboard Enterprise.

"Only a dream," he whispered to the empty room. He glanced to his side
with a frown, missing the familiar warmth of Tucker pressed against
him. Although the bed was really not large enough, they had spent most
nights since returning to the ship, together. The close confines had
been comforting the first few nights and Reed had grown used to the
nightly struggle to roll Tucker off of him so that he could breathe.
He sat up, groggily looking around. "Charles?"

Images from his nightmare flashed across his mind and had Reed
scrambling from the bed and frantically looking for discarded
clothing. He dressed in the sweats and soft t-shirt he'd worn earlier
and hunted for shoes. Mounting panic made his hands shake as he pulled
on a pair of socks not caring whether they were his own.

He found his boots and put them on, relieved that he got them on the
right feet by instinct. His heart was still pounding uncomfortably as
he left his cabin and began a systematic search for his lover,
beginning with Tucker's cabin. {There's no need to panic unduly,} he
told himself firmly. {Until you're certain there is a problem, it is
best to remain calm,} but his heart skipped a beat when there was no
answer to the door-chime, and entering the access code revealed an
unoccupied cabin and a neatly made, unslept in bed.

Reed closed his eyes and fought to remain calm. {Where would he go?}

---

Tucker stood by the large viewing port on the observation deck
watching stars stream by outside. So close they seemed like he could
touch them, yet he knew that was an illusion. He stared, losing
himself in the streaking slivers of light. He knew the dynamic behind
gravimetric field displacement that caused the illusion that the ship
was racing through stars without colliding, but in reality those stars
were far more distant than they seemed. He pressed his fingers to the
cool transparent surface though and smirked at his own folly.
Sometimes it was nice to let imagination take over. He sighed and
turned to glance over his shoulder at the sofa. Why had he come here?
It had been almost painful to walk through that door. Maybe that was
why he'd done it. Maybe he was just a glutton for punishment.

Malcolm had explained to him that what happened here between himself
and Archer was just a moment, that it meant nothing; that if anything
it had been confusing, and there was nothing between the captain and
his lover. Tucker accepted that, but the remains of pain were there,
and he had come here when he couldn't sleep. Tucker knew his decision
to be there was deliberate. The engineer shook his head slightly and
turned back to the stars. Their cool blue light was soothing and
watching them stopped his mind from churning round and round
concerning their destination.

He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. The sound of the doors
sliding open had him turn around. Malcolm walked towards him and
Tucker smiled.

"Hi," he said softly.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Reed chided, moving to
encircle Tucker's waist with his arms. They both stared out through
the window in silence, Reed's cheek pressed against Trip's chest.

"Sorry, didn't wanna wake ya," Tucker said. "I couldn't sleep; thought
the view might help."

"Why here?" Reed's question was low, spoken on a breath.

"I dunno...biggest window I guess."

"Charles?" Reed released his lover and Tucker turned to look at him.
"Are you all right?" He studied the man carefully, as though looking
for physical injuries; his blue-grey eyes reflected the starlight.
Shadows danced in their depths that caused Tucker to frown.

"I'm fine, Malcolm..." he paused and looked into the haunted gaze of
his lover. "Are you?"

"Yeah," Reed nodded and moved towards the sofa, drawing Tucker with
him. "I just...needed to know you're all right." He sat and drew
Tucker down with him. "I love you," he breathed and leaned in to kiss
Tucker's mouth tenderly.

Passion sparked quickly, and Tucker returned the kiss with heat.
Tongues met and sparred between parted lips, probing, exploring and a
soft moan came from the back of Reed's throat. He pushed Tucker down
on the sofa.

"Want you," Reed whispered. "Here...let's make this ours."

Tucker whimpered as Reed's hands worked their way under his shirt. He
squirmed.

"At least lock the damn door, Mal..." his words were stopped by a hot,
hungry mouth and a low toned growl.

"Already did, now just cooperate would you?"

Slowly, Reed pushed Tucker's shirt up until his hands and mouth had
free access to his lovers nipples. He sucked and nibbled at each in
turn and then made his way lower, burning kisses into the heated flesh
of Tucker's belly. He came to the waistband of the loose fitting pants
Tucker wore and hooked his fingers into it, easing the fabric over the
straining cock and baring the organ to his attentions. Reed slipped to
his knees on the floor and ran his tongue along the length of Tucker's
shaft from base to tip. He coated the twitching organ with saliva,
then blew a gentle breath across the wetness he had created.

Tucker let out a shuddering groan. "Oh gawd, Malcolm, that's so
fucking good. More." He bucked, his body rising off the sofa as the
mouth of his lover engulfed him. "Yeah! ungh!"

Malcolm thrilled at the impassioned cries of his lover as he worked
his mouth along the length of the pulsing shaft and pulled back,
sucking hard as he tasted the sweet essence of Tucker's need. He let
the thick organ out of his mouth and closed one hand around it,
concentrating the attentions of his mouth on the sensitive head. He
teased the frenulum with the tip of his tongue and moaned as Tucker
squirmed in ecstasy. He swallowed the shaft into his mouth once more
and set to work at bringing his lover to a soul shattering climax.

"No! no Malc...olm...! Not yet..." Trip cried, but a moment, later his
cries changed. "Oh gawd Oh gaaawwd! Yeah!" He strained upwards into
the hot, eager mouth of his lover, eyes closed as he set his teeth
into his lower lip. "ungh...yeah ...yeah!"

Reed drew back to tease the tip again, finding that extra sensitive
ridge of skin with the tip of his tongue, he teased it, while his hand
stroked the shaft once...twice and as the first ripples of orgasm
pulsed through Tucker's cock, he took it back into his mouth, gently
sucking the release from his lover until Trip subsided with a moan
onto the sofa and lay sobbing for breath.

Reed let his lover out of his mouth and got up from the floor, moving
to cover Tucker's body with his own, and kiss him tenderly.

Tucker flicked his tongue across Malcolm's lips, tasting his own
essence and sighed with pleasure. "I love you," he breathed. "Love you
so much, Malcolm."

"You're just saying that because I'm good in bed," Reed teased. He
nuzzled the engineer's cheek. "Shall we remove ourselves to somewhere
a little more...private? I'm certainly not finished with you yet,
but...I wouldn't like to have to explain the mess."

Tucker grinned and gently shoved Reed off of him. "Okay..." he began
to rearrange his clothing. "Such eagerness," Reed quipped with a grin.

"Yeah, ya bring out the slut in me," Tucker leaned in for a swift kiss
before he stood up. "Yer place or mine, sugah?"

"Sugah?" Reed got to his feet and dealt a sharp slap to Tucker's ass.
"You'll pay for that...now move, Commander...before I am forced to
pick you up and carry you to my bed."

"Yers then...okay..." Tucker walked towards the doors, reaching to
link his fingers with Malcolm's as they went. He felt comforted,
protected and cherished, and he liked it. He liked it a lot.

---

As the landing party stepped down from shuttle pod one, Reed glanced
around uneasily. They had arrived in orbit of Surumar the previous
afternoon, but spent the night on board Enterprise; Captain Archer had
decided it was better to arrive on the planet early in the morning,
rather than land and immediately face the prospect of spending the
night.

It was a considerate gesture and one that Reed appreciated deeply. He
took up position behind the captain and T'Pol, and was glad to be
flanked on one side by his lover and on the other by Ensign Tanner
who'd been asked to accompany the party as an added security measure.

For once, the captain was taking no chances, even to the point of
politely declining the Surrumaran's offer to transport his party to
the planet in favour of using a shuttle-pod.

At the edge of the landing bay, D'Iarin stood, flanked by two young
male Surrumaran. D'Naida was nowhere in sight, and Reed let some of
the tension in his shoulders dissipate.

As they moved towards the welcoming party, Reed felt Tucker's fingers
brush against his in a gesture of reassurance. He allowed a faint
smile and a glance at his lover before he returned his attention to
the captain.

"Greetings, Captain Archer," D'Iarin stepped forward, and Reed noticed
that he kept his hands carefully behind his back, making no attempt to
offer the tactile greeting the Surrumaran had employed on their first
visit.

"D'Iarin," Archer acknowledged. There was no customary offer to shake
hands. Reed watched, noting the strain in Archer's face.

D'Iarin turned to T'Pol and lifted one hand palm outwards and the two
middle fingers splayed apart, but did not touch the Vulacn, even
though the hand gesture was repeated by T'Pol.

"Live long, and prosper," D'Iarin said.

"Live long, and Prosper," T'Pol replied levelly.

"It is some time since I met a member of your race," D'Iarin said,
"However, my diplomatic missions have brought me in contact with
Vulcans on many occassions. I trust that you will find your second
visit to us pleasant.

T'Pol inclined her head, but didn't say anything.

D'Iarin turned his attention to the rest of the party. "Commander
Tucker, Lieutenant Reed. I am glad you decided to return and assist
the council with this inquiry. May I take this opportunity to offer
our sincere apologies for the treatment you received here previously."

Reed nodded, and Tucker muttered something that sounded like thanks.
Reed looked around and then met the Surrumaran's eyes.

"D'Naida is in custody," D'Iarin said, and Reed started. He'd been
wondering about that since they arrived, but to have his unspoken
question answered in such a way made his senses prickle with alarm.
Could D'Iarin read his mind as easily as D'Naida seemed to? He frowned
and looked away.

"Won't you all come inside?" D'Iarin turned and led the way into the
hall that they had been taken to before. "We have prepared food..."

"We're not really very hungry," Archer interrupted, "perhaps you could
show us to our guest quarters?" He glanced back at Reed and Tucker.
"We'd appreciate the opportunity to rest before the inquiry
commences."

D'Iarin hesitated, a small frown touching his features but he bowed
slightly and the frown was smoothly replaced with a smile. "As you
wish, Captain. Please, follow me."

As they moved through the complex, Reed looked about, taking careful
stock of the surroundings, mapping it in his head in case he should
need to know possible escape routes later. He listened with half an
ear to the comments made between D'Iarin and the other members of the
landing party, but his mind was more preoccupied with tactical
concerns. He was pleased to note that Tanner seemed to be conducting
some reconnaissance of his own.

They halted outside a door, and D'Iarin turned around. "Commander
Tucker, This is the room you will share with the Lieutenant." he
handed Tucker a small rectangular disk. "This will give you access to
enter and leave the room--to arm the forcefields on the windows if you
feel the need..." The Surrumaran smiled. "You will, of course have
complete access to replicate anything you wish. Merely speak the
word." He gestured for the rest of the party to follow him and Reed
and Tucker were left standing outside the door.

"Well, this is it," Tucker said. He glanced at the door, and then
looked into Reed's eyes. "Ready?"

"I suppose so..." Reed watched the captain and T'Pol enter their room
with Tanner at their heels. "I just..." he shook his head. "Come on,
let's get this over with." He waited while Tucker pressed the disk
into a recess that was made for it on the wall and the door slid open.

Tucker took a half step towards the doorway and then he halted. He
retrieved the disk and stared at it lying in his palm for a moment.
Raising his head, he met his lover's eyes and reached for Malcolm's
hand. "Together," he said firmly.

Reed nodded and tried not to crush Tucker's hand as they stepped
across the threshold.

Both men started and spun around when the door slid shut behind them.

Swallowing hard, Reed let a small snort of laughter escape. "Well...we
got in..." He coughed slightly, his throat uncomfortably dry.

Tucker nodded and pressed the disk into the corresponding recess
beside the door. Both of them laughed when the door immediately opened
again.

"Okay," Tucker let his breath out with a sigh. "We know we can get out
when we want."

Reed closed his eyes and moved to sit on the only bed in the main
room. He passed a hand across his face, rubbing at his eyes.

"God, Trip," he muttered. "I didn't think this would be so bloody
hard."

"Hey," Tucker moved to sit beside him. "We're in this together,
Malcolm. I'm gonna be right here with ya the whole time." He took his
lover into his arms. "We're gonna get through this."

Reed nodded and looked up, to meet Tucker's eyes. "I know. I just
can't help thinking that...she may try to hurt us...you...I..." he cut
himself short of telling Tucker about the disturbing dream he'd had a
few nights ago, he didn't think it was necessary to worry his lover
with details. They had enough to think about as it was. He managed a
weak smile. "Sorry...I'll try to pull myself together."

Tucker drew him closer. "Ya don't need t'be sorry, Malcolm. I'm
feelin' this just as much as you are. I promise ya we'll be okay,
it'll all be over by tomorrow; we don't have to stay for the findings,
just give our side of the story and move on." He pressed a kiss to
Reed's forehead. "We'll get through it. Together."

---

The Surrumaran Council met in a large, open chamber that reminded Trip
of old pictures he had seen of the Roman forums in history books.
Although there was not anything near the number of people he might
have expected to sit on the bench that ran half way around the
circular chamber, he still found it daunting to walk into the centre
of the room and take his position on a small stand there. He looked at
the three male Surrumaran in front of him, and then his eyes sought
the captain and other members of the landing party.

Tucker met the captain's eyes, receiving a small nod of reassurance
from his commanding officer.

Trip took a deep breath and turned his attention to the council member
who was speaking to him.

"Please do not let this occasion overwhelm you, Commander, we ask only
that you tell us as completely as you can, what occurred when you last
visited our planet."

Tucker nodded and drew a deep breath. He shifted his weight from one
foot to the other and then began to speak.

"Enterprise came here in response to a distress call. We were asked to
assist in repairin' a mal-functioning water purification' unit." He
paused and looked at each of the councilors in turn. "I didn't really
think y'needed our help. This planet obviously has the resources to do
those kinda repairs." He watched as the three males exchanged glances
and then he went on.

"The day we arrived, Malcolm was separated from our group, and we
didn't see him again until we left."

"I repaired the water purifier, and then I was getting set to take
some shore-leave and look around when...I found mahself
detained...against...against..." Tucker bowed his head as an odd,
fuzzy sensation assailed his senses. He closed his eyes, struggling to
regain the train of thought he had very nearly lost. "Against mah
will."

The engineer leaned one hand on the railing in front of him and shook
his head.

"We...I was forced to relive some experiences from the past that
were..." Tucker pressed his fingers to one temple. "Painful to me. I
was told that this was necessary. Personally I thought I was just some
kinda specimen or...experiment." He raised his head.

"I was told I...couldn't leave. I was told I...couldn't see...M..."
Damn what was wrong with him? His mouth just didn't seem to want to
form the words. He looked at the captain and shook his head in answer
to the concern he saw in the sea-green eyes that locked with his. He
drew a breath and let it out slowly.

"Are you all right, Commander?" One of the councilors asked.

"I...yeah...I think so..." Tucker furrowed his brow, chasing down the
suddenly elusive memories of his time in the cell the last time they
had come to this planet.

"Malcolm...we weren't allowed to see or speak to each other, and
this...D'Naida was makin' both of us relive things that we needed to
work out between us. After...the last time...I guess I lost hope. I
figured that Malcolm would never wanna speak to me again. He woulda
seen the whole deal and known how much of a louse I was and..." Tucker
dropped his gaze to his hands. "I didn't eat, or drink much...I think
I spent most of th'time asleep after that."

"Anyway, at some point, the cap'n must've found a way to get to us,
'cause I remember wakin' up in sickbay aboard Enterprise and...and it
was over."

The three males conferred briefly, and one of them tapped information
into a small device in front of him. After a moment the eldest of the
three looked at Tucker.

"Do you have anything else you wish to add?"

"I don't think so..." Tucker shook his head slightly. "I told
ya...everythin'." Had he though? Was there something he had missed?
Tucker frowned and searched his mind, unable to decide if he had told
the whole story or not. After a moment, he shrugged. "Yeah. I think
that's all."

"You may step down, Commander. Thank you."

Tucker nodded and moved off the stand. He turned and looked back at
the small podium for a moment, his brow creased in thought and then he
shook his head. The odd dizzy sensation had stopped, but there was an
uneasy feeling that he had said something...or left something unsaid,
that he should have mentioned. He made his way to where Archer sat
with T'Pol and Phlox.

"Trip?" The captain's studied him and Tucker smiled. "I'm okay,
Cap'n," he said as he took a seat beside Archer. "I just wish this was
over so we could get outta here." He felt the warmth of the captain's
hand on his shoulder for a moment, and then the doors of the hearing
room opened and Malcolm came in.

The lieutenant's posture was tense, shoulders back and his spine
ramrod straight. He looked like he was about to face the courts
marshall rather than present evidence to an inquiry where he was the
victim. Tucker tried to make eye contact, but Reed kept his eyes fixed
on the three councillors. His gaze was steady and intense, never
wavering.

---

Malcolm Reed felt as though his legs were made of ice, or lead or some
other heavy, cold, and difficult to move substance. He dragged his
feet towards the stand in the centre of the room, and mounted onto it
with difficulty. His heart thudded in his chest ponderous, beats that
felt as though they shook his whole frame. His head felt fuzzy, as
though he'd suddenly come down with a cold or something and he
maintained his focus on the Surrumaran Councillors only by dint of his
stubborn will. He straightened his shoulders even further when he
stepped up onto the podium and blinked heavy eyelids as he waited for
the Councilor to speak.

"Lieuteeeeeen-n-n-n-nant Reed.

Malcolm frowned, the voice of the Surrumaran sounded distorted, the
harmonic tones so pleasant to the ear normally, struck a discordant
tone and Reed winced. It was like listening to a log file that had
been played back too slowly. He shook his head and inclined his head
forward a little, struggling to make out the words.

"Tell us in your own words, as acuuuuurrrrraaaately aaas you
caaaaaannnn whaaaat happened..."

Reed closed his eyes. The discordant sounds had the effect of making
his head spin, and he couldn't think.

"Tell...tell you...what?"

"whaaaaat ha-ha-haaaaaapeeenned?"

Reed felt his stomach lurch. He felt suddenly very ill and he couldn't
remember where he was, or why he was there. He stared stupidly at the
faces around him and his eyes sought out the one face that was
familiar to him.

"Trrrrriiiiiiip?" Malcolm felt himself falling into the whirling
morass that was his confused mind and he slumped to the floor.

PART 6

The room seemed to explode with action and noise. Reed was aware of
it, but everything seemed disconnected and distant to him. People
crowded around him, calling his name. Hands touched him, lifting him
to a sitting position. He let his head droop forward, lacking the
strength to look up.

He didn't understand what was happening or why he felt so dreadful,
but he was content to leave that problem in the hands of others.

A hand brushed across his forehead. A familiar, intimate touch that he
recognized and welcomed. His lover. Trip was with him; as long as Trip
was there, everything would be all right. He struggled with the effort
to speak and managed to whisper his lover's name.

"Charles..."

"I'm here, darlin'," the response was immediate and reassuring. Reed
sighed and allowed his eyes to slip closed.

---

"Doc?" Tucker looked up into the concerned face of the ship's
physician.

"It's all right, Commander." Phlox met the engineer's eyes. "I will
need to take him back to the ship to determine what has caused his
sudden collapse." Phlox looked up, searching for the captain amongst
the people standing around.

Archer nodded and then turned to the councilors. "I want to know what
the hell's going on!" His voice was sharp with anger as he confronted
D'Iarin. "You gave me an undertaking that my people would be safe!"

"I am sorry, Captain." D'Iarin looked as concerned and confused by the
events as anyone. He shook his head. "I do not know how this has
happened."D'Naida ought not to be able to influence anyone from
her..."

"Are you telling me that D'Naida's responsible for this?" Archer's
face clouded with fury and he took a step forward. He was restrained
by Tucker, who put a hand on his arm.

"Cap'n, this isn't gonna solve anythin' we hafta work out what
happened to Malcolm. Maybe D'Iarin didn't have anythin' t'do with
it...or couldn't have done anythin' to prevent it."

Archer tensed and for a moment it seemed as though he might shake
Tucker off. He glared into D'Iarin's eyes for a few seconds and then
he relaxed with a brief nod. "All right." The captain turned to
Tucker. "All right."

Tucker spun around to Phlox. "Let's get Mal..." He trailed off with a
gasp and his hands went to his head.

"Trip?" Archer was at his side in an instant.

"My head," Tucker moaned. He staggered to Malcolm's side. "Malcolm..."
The engineer reached a hand towards his lover and dropped to his
knees. "Make it stop! She's hurtin' him...she..." Tucker put a hand on
Reed's forehead and instantly his face twisted with agony.

He cried out between clenched teeth and shook his head violently.
"She's...hurtin'..." Tucker wrapped his arms around his lover and
pulled him close. "I'm here, Malcolm..." He cried out one last time
and then he fell into unconsciousness.

Archer rounded on D'Iarin. "I want you to transport them to my ship.
NOW!"

"I would advise against that, Captain." D'Iarin's amber eyes were
troubled as he glanced from Archer to the two fallen crew members and
back. "Removing these men from the planet might very well mean their
deaths. I know you do not trust us, Captain; in your position I would
no doubt feel the same way, but I must insist that you stay here and
allow my people to treat them."

"I..." Archer shook his head."Phlox..." The captain frowned and shook
his head again. He took a half step towards the doctor as a wave of
nausea assailed him. "What's going on?"

Phlox reached to steady the captain and his blue eyes flashed with
anger as he glared at D'Iarin."What is happening to them?" He had
scanned Tucker and Reed and now he ran the scanner over Archer as
well. "I'm reading extremely erratic brain activity..."

"They are under telepathic attack." T'Pol stepped forward. "I too, am
affected; however Vulcans are trained in resisting such things." Her
dark eyes turned to D'Iarin. "I suggest you take action to contain
this situation before..." For the first time she faltered. She blinked
and pulled herself together. "Before it escalates."

Archer passed a hand across his forehead. "T'Pol," he gasped. "Go back
to the ship; I'm putting you in charge."

"Wait!" D'Iarin moved over to T'Pol and held out a hand to her.
"Please..."

Raising one eyebrow, the sub-commander placed her hand in D'Iarin's.

D'Iarin tensed and drew a gasping breath. "By the seven stars!"

He broke the contact with T'Pol and spun to face the councilors.
"Shield them!" He waved a hand at Tucker and Reed and then turned to
meet Phlox' eyes. "I don't know how this has occurred," he said. "But
we will do everything in our power to assist your fellows!" As he
spoke, the Surrumaran moved to Archer's side and took hold of his
hand.

"Forgive me, Captain, for breaching your terms, but I have no choice."

He clasped Archer's hand for a moment, muttering to himself in an
unintelligible language and then, with a nod, he let go the captain's
hand.

Archer rubbed the back of his neck as though to ease tension and
blinked into D'Iarin's eyes. "Thank you..." he said in a puzzled
tone."How did you..." The confusion and nausea left him as suddenly as
it started.

"It is an old technique, Captain, one that has been known to my people
for many generations."

"Can't you...do that for Trip and Malcolm?"

"I'm afraid not. Their condition is much worse and will require more
intensive treatment."

Archer frowned and nodded, watching as the councilors gathered around
Tucker and Reed. Phlox hovered nearby, keeping a careful eye on what
the Surrumaran were doing, but for the most part, he allowed them to
work uninterrupted.

"We'll stay until you can stabilize them," Archer said." He glanced at
T'Pol. "Go back to Enterprise and wait for my instructions."

T'Pol inclined her head and turned to walk in the direction of the
landing bay.

---

D'Iarin paced the length of his office and glanced at Captain Archer.
His eyes were troubled and he clasped his hands together, wringing
them as he considered what to say.

Malcolm and Trip had been transferred to a room inside the main
complex where they remained under the care of Phlox and the three
councilors who had conducted the inquiry.

"I am at a loss to explain this, Captain." D'Iarin shook his head. "I
didn't know that D'Naida was..." He sighed and turned to face Archer.

"Captain, the Surrumaran are touch-telepaths. Usually we cannot
establish a strong telepathic link without touching the person we wish
to communicate with or...influence..." he hurried on. "Surrumaran
never use our abilities for harm. It is not in our nature!"

Archer frowned. "You don't call what has happened to my crewmen harm?"

"Yes...yes, I do." D'Iarin's face was so filled with regret and horror
that Archer relented a little.

"Several generations ago, our scientists began to notice
an...aberration in the genome of our people. Occasionally, young
were--are born that have abnormal abilities. They can communicate
telepathically, with or without the need for touch. Touch, for them,
merely creates a stronger link." D'Iarin sighed. "It would appear that
D'Naida is one such individual."

Archer nodded. "You must have known that?"

"No, I didn't. I swear to you, Captain Archer, had I known I would
certainly have taken measures to ..." He trailed off, shaking his
head. "D'Naida has been very successful in hiding her abilities from
me."

Archer sighed. "All right, I'll accept that. But...what do you plan to
do about it? What are you going to do for my men? Can you help them?"

"I believe we can." D'Iarin nodded. "I have called in some of the best
psychologists on my planet, and the strongest telepaths. I am
confident they can undo the damage that has been done.

---

Sub-commander T'Pol sat in the captain's chair on the bridge of
Enterprise. Her outward appearance was serene and collected as usual,
and she gave no hint to the turmoil that roiled in her mind.

A battle was waged on the mental plane. T'Pol had become aware of the
attack shortly after Commander Tucker gave his evidence at the
inquiry. It had begun as a niggling feeling of unease and increased
gradually to the extent that it had distracted her for several minutes
as she worked quickly to establish a barrier against the persistent
assault on her thoughts.

By the time she had effectively blocked the barrage of violence and
confusion, Lieutenant Reed and Commander Tucker lay unconscious on the
floor of the hearing room and Captain Archer was demanding to know
what was happening to them.

T'Pol blinked and glanced around the bridge. It was tiring, battling
against this attack, and it had not relented. If anything, the waves
of violent thought had grown more frequent, and she was aware that a
second...and then a third mind had joined against her defences.

With a sigh, T'Pol looked towards the tactical station, manned now by
Ensign Tanner. He monitored his console quietly. The ship had been
placed at tactical alert shortly after her return. T'Pol felt a surge
of anger as she gazed at him and her eyes darkened with it before she
looked away. She turned her attention to the planet on the view
screen.

Anger, white hot and insistent assailed her. She knew with one part of
her mind that it came from outside of herself, and yet, it was a part
of her. She blinked.

"Ensign Tanner," she said levelly. "Arm the phase canons and target
the main complex on the surface."

"Sub-Commander?" Tanner looked up sharply. The captain, Commander
Tucker, Lieutenant Reed, and Doctor Phlox were inside that building.

T'Pol turned cold eyes to him. "I issued an order, Ensign."

Tanner nodded. "Arming phase canons," he murmured, tapping controls.

---

In D'Iarin's office, a small console beeped quietly and the
super-intendant turned to it, pressing a few controls.

A screen lit up with the face of a young female Surrumaran.

"Super-intendant," the woman said. "I was told to inform you that
Enterprise has armed weapons and is targeting the main complex."

D'Iarin frowned and glanced over his shoulder at Archer. "Thank you
"D'Lon." He said. "Continue to monitor the situation." Closing the
console down, he turned to Archer.

"I assure you, Captain, such violent measures are unwarranted."

Archer frowned and shook his head. "I didn't order that," he said.
Reaching for his communicator, Archer flipped it open. "Archer to
Enterprise..."

There was no response.

---

Phlox stood by Reed's bed in the Surrumaran infirmary, dismally
watching the lieutenant's vital signs. There had been very little
change in either Reed or Tucker's condition and the doctor was worried
He had no resources to combat telepathic assault and could only stand
by and watch while the Surrumaran did all that they could. Phlox made
sure the men were comfortable and receiving plenty of fluids. Beyond
that there was not a thing he could do.

A sound of movement behind him caused Phlox to turn and look over his
shoulder.

"Captain Archer," he said solemnly as the captain approached him. "I
am afraid I have no news."

Archer nodded. "We've got a problem," he said. "I can't reach the
ship."

Phlox frowned. "Odd," he said. "Sub-commander T'Pol can usually be
relied upon. Perhaps there is a problem with the comms?"

"Maybe." Archer didn't look convinced. "The Surrumaran say that
Enterprise has armed weapons and targeted this complex."

A groan from Malcolm had both Archer and Phlox turn to look at the
lieutenant.

Reed slowly rolled his head from side to side and his eyelids
fluttered as he struggled towards consciousness.

Phlox moved to his side and glanced up at the bio-medical readouts on
the wall next to the bed. "Lieutenant, can you hear me?" He laid a
hand on Reed's shoulder.

Archer moved to the other side of the bed and looked down into Reed's
face. "Malcolm?"

Blue-grey eyes blinked open, fuzzy and unfocussed and Reed groaned
again, struggling to stay awake. "Captain," he whispered.
"Important..."

"What is it, Malcolm?" Archer leaned closer to catch the faint words.
"What's important?"

Reed groaned with pain. "Can't...remember..." his brow creased with
concentration as he seemed to search for what he needed to say.
"D'Naida..." Reed gasped and shook his head and then in a sudden
moment of clarity, he met Archer's eyes. "She...knows..." he said.

Phlox shifted his weight from one foot to the other and shook his head
at the readings over Reed's bed. "Take it easy, Lieutenant," he said
firmly. "Don't stress yourself."

"She knows...everything." Reed sighed. "Enterprise...in danger...she
knows...specs, weaknesses..." He let out his breath on a shuddering
groan. "I'm ... sorry," he breathed and then his eyes slipped closed
again.

"Malcolm?" Archer looked at Phlox.

"He's unconscious, Captain." The doctor shook his head. "I am afraid I
can't revive him; the stress on his system just from that short period
was too great."

Archer nodded and frowned. "I'm going back to the ship," he said. "I
need to find out what's happening up there."

"Of course." Phlox nodded. "I will try to keep you informed."

Archer sighed, glancing from Malcolm's bed, to the one alongside it,
occupied by the unconscious Chief Engineer. Somehow, he was going to
get them, and his ship out of this situation. He didn't know how, but
whatever it took, he was going to do it.

---

Captain Archer arrived back aboard his ship to find quiet chaos
reigning. Even as he stepped off the transporter pad, after the
Surrumaran beamed him aboard using their advanced systems, he could
sense that something was very wrong.

He made his way out of the transporter-room and along a corridor to
the lift, glancing around at Crew-members who seemed almost afraid to
look him in the eyes or greet him.

When the lift doors opened, the captain stepped inside and nodded to
the two crewmen already there. They were security officers. He
recognized them as a pair that Malcolm often selected for away
missions. Archer keyed the button for the bridge but one of the men
stepped forward, hitting the override and reprogramming the lift to go
to the armory.

Puzzled, Archer turned to look at him, an instant before his senses
were shut down by a phaser-pistol blast on stun.

---

Hoshi Sato turned to look at a flashing yellow light on her console
and tapped a button to see a report of why the alert had been
activated. She frowned and looked at the sub-commander.

"I'm detecting weapons fire in the lift," she reported.

T'Pol nodded, but didn't move from her seat. "Acknowledged," she said
coolly.

Hoshi frowned and glanced across the bridge meeting the worried eyes
of Ensign Mayweather and then she looked at Tanner. The security
officer shook his head slightly and flicked a glance at T'Pol before
he looked away. Hoshi swallowed hard and turned back to the comms.
Something was awfully wrong. Hoshi feigned working, her hands moving
automatically over her console, but her mind was busy with the problem
of how she could get to the captain and let him know what was going
on. T'Pol seemed bent on launching an attack on Surrumar. She hadn't
taken any decisive steps as yet, but Hoshi worried that it was only a
matter of time.

After a moment, an idea hit her and Hoshi had to force herself not to
spin around to face Travis. Carefully, making her movements as casual
as possible she typed a text message into the comms relay and sent it
to Mayweather's console.

After several seconds she glanced over at him and caught his slight
nod. Hoshi nodded back to him and gave him a half smile. Her eyes went
briefly to T'Pol and then back to Mayweather who looked shocked for a
moment, and then he nodded. Hoshi was confident she could trust him to
do what she had suggested.

Hoshi returned her attention to her console for the next few moments.
She needed to time this right, and not make her actions too obvious.

---

The infirmary was quiet, the two patients resting as comfortably as
Phlox could make them, and the doctor was seated at a desk reading a
Surrumaran medical text when the doors opened and three Surrumaran he
had not previously met walked in. One was a female, the other two were
male and they proceeded straight to the beds occupied by Phlox'
patients. The female put a hand on Reed's temple and closed her eyes.
After a moment she shook her head and Turned towards Tucker's bed.

The Denobulan was on his feet and intercepted her before she touched
Commander Tucker.

"I am Phlox," he said, a note of challenge in his voice. "I'm the
physician in charge of these two patients. Is there something I can
assist you with?"

The female inclined her head and Phlox was struck by the fluid grace
of her movements. He was reminded of some of the feline creatures
found on Denobula and he found her instantly fascinating.

"I am D'Laren," the woman said in that same harmonic voice that all
Surrumaran possessed. She smiled and indicated the two males. "My bond
mate, D'Taar, and our colleague, Doctor D'Kahl." This was the first
time Phlox had heard a Surrumaran refer to anyone other than himself
as 'Doctor,' He nodded and then looked at D'Laren.

"Do you mind telling me what you're doing here, and why you were
touching my patient?"

"I am a psychologist," D'Laren replied. "D'Iarin called D'Taar and I
here to intervene in this case...and it is not a moment too soon, the
dark one is in very serious condition. If I may, I would like to
examine his mate."

Mollified, Phlox nodded and stepped aside. He watched as D'Laren
pressed her hand against Tucker's temple and closed her eyes again in
the same manner as she had with Reed. She spent longer here, and her
expression, when she turned to Phlox was grim.

"This is...unthinkable," she said, her musical voice tinged with
regret and abhorrence. "That one of our own could do such things
is...detestable." She turned to D'Kahl and the two seemed to commune
silently for some few seconds before D'Laren returned her attention to
Phlox.

"D'Naida has violated our morals, Doctor, and not only physically
harmed another with her abilities; she has attempted to kill in this
case. A gesture to Tucker. "You may be assured we will repair the
damage she has done, but it will take time..." The female turned to
D'Taar. "Please go with D'Kahl and inform D'Iarin of what has
transpired here. Inform him that D'Naida must be neutralized.

D'Taar looked shocked, his green eyes growing wide at the words of his
bond mate, but he didn't speak, only nodding and casting a glance at
the two human males before he swung around on his heel and left the
room.

D'Laren looked into Phlox' eyes. "Some of what I am about to do, may
appear unorthodox and worrisome to you, Doctor, but I swear to you, I
have the best interests of our patients in mind."

Phlox nodded and glanced towards the doors where the two Surrumaran
males had recently departed. "You said D'Naida is to be
neutralized...what did you mean by that?"

"She will not be harmed, Doctor," the woman said. "Merely rendered
incapable of causing further harm."

---

On the bridge of Enterprise, the atmosphere was tense as the bridge
crew waited for T'Pol to make her next move. The Vulcan seemed
oblivious to the tightly strung emotions of the humans around her. She
stared into the forward view screen her eyes intense and her body
posture stiff and erect. Once in a while a flicker of emotion betrayed
itself on her carefully schooled features but they were fleeting and
always quickly controlled. She barely stirred in her seat as the
minutes ticked slowly by.

The Vulcan glanced towards the communications officer when Hoshi
suddenly groaned and slumped forward over her console.

"Ensign Sato," she said in a low, modulated voice. "What is the
matter?"

Sato didn't reply, merely leaning her forehead against her console and
groaning again.

T'Pol got to her feet and took a half step towards Hoshi, but she
stopped and swung around to face Mayweather as the pilot quickly came
to his feet.

She regarded the phase pistol in his hand without surprise, and
slumped unconscious to the deck when Mayweather fired at her.

On the other side of the bridge, Sato made a rapid recovery and got to
her feet. "Good work, Travis," she said. She moved to T'Pol's side and
felt for a pulse; finding one, she nodded and looked up at Mayweather.
"Call security to get the sub-commander to sick bay. I'm going to try
and find the captain." A glance at Tanner." "You've got the bridge,"
she said.

---

The first thing that Archer became aware of was pain. His head ached
intolerably and he felt as though he'd been smacked in the head with a
sonic wrench. Rolling onto his back, he pressed one hand to his
forehead and groaned.

The floor under him was cold. No carpet here and he vaguely remembered
the lift being re-routed to the armory. The captain shook his head
and cracked open one eye. He was lying next to a torpedo bracket.
Slowly, he looked around, taking stock of the situation.

The two crewmen he'd met in the lift stood nearby. One of them had a
phase pistol trained on him and Archer spread his hands in a gesture
of surrender. He moved to sit up, leaning his back against the torpedo
brace. His neck hurt and he rubbed it with one hand, looking his
guards over for a moment.

"Mind explaining what's going on?"

Silence.

"Okay..."

Archer bowed his head, thinking fast. His memory of arriving on
Enterprise was sketchy--being stunned will do that to you--he thought.
He could remember the sense of something being wrong.--I should have
armed myself--but hindsight was always 20/20.

The captain sighed and gave a small shake of his head. It was no good
sitting here thinking of 'could-a-beens.' He needed to think of a way
out of this situation. Weapons wouldn't be a problem; he was in the
armory after all. Getting a hold of one though, could prove
difficult. He looked up, meeting the eyes of the man who still held
the phase pistol pointed at him.

Archer gave a disarming grin. If he could get them talking, he might
spot an opportunity.

"You're Johansson, right?"

Silence.

"You guys really had me going," Archer said with a chuckle. Maybe if
he played it dumb, they'd relax their guard. "This some kind of drill?
Malcolm teed this up, didn't he? I'll have to commend him for his..."

"Shut-up." Johansson waved the phase-pistol. "Sir."

Archer frowned and shifted his attention to the other crewman.
"Crewman West?"

The man shifted his weight but refused to look the captain in the eye.

"Crewman?" Archer tried again. This time a pair of dark eyes flicked
to his face and away again. The captain noted the nervous gleam and
narrowed his eyes. Okay, so not everyone was in on this insurrection
or whatever it was. He focussed his attention on West, ignoring
Johansson.

"Crewman, you're aware of the penalties for mutiny..."

Johansson lunged forward and whipped the weapon across Archer's cheek.

"I told you to shut-up, Captain!"

Archer reacted by grabbing Johansson's arm and rolling with the
crewman's momentum. He pulled his adversary to the floor and they
struggled desperately for a few seconds. Archer gripped the man's
wrist, pressing his thumb hard into the carpal nerve. He looked around
for West.

The man hovered uncertainly his eyes flicking between the captain and
Johansson.

The captain felt Johansson's wrist flex and the man let go of the
phase pistol with a cry of pain. Archer grabbed for it, but Johansson
bucked, throwing the captain to the floor and snatched up the weapon.
He adjusted the setting to kill and aimed it at Archer's head.

"No!" West seemed to come out of some kind of daze and launched
himself at Johansson. The crewman spun to face him and fired. West
screamed and fell to the floor.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Archer lunged for Johansson's
legs and tackled him to the floor. Rage boiled through him and he
punched the crewman solidly in the jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Archer took the phase-pistol from the crewman's slackened grip and
turned his attention to West. He searched for a pulse and shook his
head with a sigh of regret.

{He saved my life...} Archer gently closed the young crewman's eyes.
He carefully set the phase-pistol back on stun and then scrambled for
cover at the sound of running footsteps in the corridor.

"Captain?" A female voice called. "Sir, are you in here?"

"Hoshi," Archer raised his head from behind the Torpedo Bracket, but
He stayed behind it, Phase-pistol in hand and ready to fight if he
needed to.

"Oh thank goodness I found you!" Hoshi noticed the phase-pistol and
raised her hands to show she was unarmed. "It's okay, Sir. I'm on your
side...I hope."

"Where's T'Pol?"

"She's in sickbay, sir. Crewman Cutler has her under sedation.
She...wasn't herself."

With a nod, Archer moved out of his hiding place, and went to a
weapons locker. He replaced his phase-pistol and armed himself with a
fresh one, handing one to Sato as well. "Let's get back to the
bridge," he said.

---

"I cannot believe this is true!" D'Iarin confronted D'Taar and D'Kahl
in his office. "D'Naida is my best and brightest student! I cannot
believe she deliberately sought to do harm...surely she was
mistaken...she didn't understand the species...she..." His voice held
a pleading tone and he looked from one to the other. "Please, can't we
speak with her first?"

"D'Iarin," D'Taar spoke in a gentle tone. "You were ever one to become
too attached to your students. D'Laren has seen into the minds of
these humans; she showed D'Kahl and I the damage that was
done...deliberate harm, D'Iarin. D'Naida is no child; she understands
her powers. She has been your student for 5 terms."

"Yes...but...but I was not here to guide her in this...I was away. I
should have come when I first sensed that she was uncertain...I should
have returned to guide her. I am sure that she meant only to help the
humans!"

"She attempted to destroy bond-mates!" For the first time, D'Taar's
voice held a note of anger and impatience. "You know there is nothing
Surrumaran hold more sacred than a love bond!"

D'Iarin bowed his head and sighed with regret. "Very well," he
conceded. "Let us get this over with."

The three males moved out of the office and walked along a narrow
corridor. D'Iarin stopped by a panel set into a recess in the wall and
took a rectangular chip from his pocket which he pressed against the
panel. The wall shimmered for a moment and then melted away to reveal
a small cell.

D'Naida sat on the one small bed in the cell, her eyes closed,
apparently meditating.

"DNaida," The superintendent said. "D'Naida, we have come...to..." He
couldn't continue and bowed his head.

D'Kahl stepped forward. "D'Naida, you are guilty of using your powers
for harm, and of intentionally attempting to kill and destroy a love
bond. You are sentenced to neutralization..." He faltered and
staggered back a few paces when D'Naida opened her eyes and looked at
him.

D'Kahl blinked and reached his hands out to D'Taar and D'Iarin. "Form
the triad," he gasped.

"Fools!" D'Naida got to her feet. "Do you think your ancient ways will
serve you any more? We have grown stronger; we will overthrow your
foolish governance."

"D'Naida..." D'Iarin pleaded with her. "You do not understand..."

"No, old one, YOU do not understand." D'Naida stepped closer to him.
"For generations you have tried to suppress us, to hold us back from
developing the potential given us as a birth right...you have
oppressed the gifted ones, treated us like something filthy to be
hidden away and cast aside. Nature decreed that we should advance, yet
YOU hold us back!"

"These powers are abnormal!" D'Kahl broke in. The three males grasped
hands to form a triangular shield against the psychic power emanating
from the female. "You wish to use them for harm, it is not our way!"

"But it is OURS." D'Naida glared at D'Kahl. "We are tired of playing
galactic nurse-maid, offering the hand of healing to all who come
here. Scorned for our outdated methods, laughed at by all...until they
need help. We have seen a better way...conquest, power...even these
humans understand it...they explore...and happily attack anything and
anyone that keeps them from their 'mission.' I have sensed it in
them...oh they suppress it...but the lust for power and blood is in
them so deeply they cannot overcome..." She laughed. "Even their
vessel of 'exploration' is armed with enough destructive force to
blast this complex, and everyone in it to ash!"

"Enough DNaida!" D'Taar spoke harshly. "Your game is over...it is time
for the ritual."

"You are more stupid than I realized," the female replied. "If you
think that by taking my powers you will prevent the inevitable. I am
only one. There are many others willing to fight and win our freedom
from your antiquated ways."

D'Taar ignored her and strengthened his grip on the others. "Let us
begin."

"No!" D'Naida lunged forward and reached for their hands. Placing one
hand on each D'Iarin's, she closed her eyes, chanting in the strange
tongue the Surrumaran employed for some of their rituals. She cried
out on a note of pain as the three of them increased their shielding
of her psychic assault, but she did not release her grip.

For tense moments they battled silently until D'Naida found a weakness
and broke through.

D'Iarin screamed and broke his hand clasp with the other males,
staggering under the psychic onslaught as D'Naida turned all of her
attention to him. He stumbled to his knees with a groan as blood ran
from his ears. DNaida gave a cry of triumph and released him, watching
as he fell lifeless to the floor.

She rounded on the others. "See!" she cried, pointing at the dead
superintendent. "You cannot prevail...your Triads are useless against
our power!"

D'Taar caught hold of D'Kahl's hand and pulled him out of the room,
sealing the entrance behind them. "We must call for more of the
council members," he said hurriedly. "Our strongest telepaths...we
need all of them immediately!"

---

"Strength is born in the deep silence of long-suffering hearts; not
amid joy." --Sir Arthur Helps

---

D'Laren stood by the bed of Malcolm Reed and stared down into the
human's face. He was deeply unconscious and progressing deeper by the
moment. Yet, there was some inner core of strength in him that he drew
from. D'Laren had a feeling she knew what it was and she touched his
hand briefly before she turned to look at Tucker.

Reaching a decision, she nodded to herself and turned away from the
human males.

"Doctor Phlox?" she called.

The Denobulan came out of a small office he had been allowed the use
of and walked over to D'Laren. "Is there something I can help you
with?"

"I believe there is," D'Laren moved back to Tucker's side. "These two
puzzle me," she admitted. "Their cerebral structure is such that they
both should have succumbed long before now to the assault they have
endured...yet they live. They appear to draw strength and comfort from
one another...and this is helping them to resist." D'Laren looked into
Phlox' eyes. "However, they are weakening, and we must intervene as
soon as possible. To begin with, I wish to change their positioning. I
think it would be beneficial to them to be in physical contact. I
realize they are neither telepathic, nor even touch telepathic,
Doctor, yet, being closer to one another will make a difference when I
begin to work with them."

"Of course," Phlox nodded. "Whatever you think will aid in their
recovery."

D'Laren nodded. "Do you trust me, Phlox?"

"Trust?" Phlox was puzzled by the question and it showed in his
expressive face.

"I ask because what I propose to do will seem as though it is doing
more harm than good."

"Frankly...I don't think I can answer that question other than in the
negative," Phlox told her. "However, at this point, I seem to have few
alternatives."

D'Laren turned to her patients. "Very well, let us commence by moving
them."

---

Captain Archer and Hoshi were greeted by an obviously relieved Tanner
and Mayweather as they stepped out of the lift.

Archer moved to his chair and sat down, taking a moment to rub his
face with one hand. This had been a long day, and didn't look like
being over yet.

Straightening in his chair, he looked at Tanner. "Report," he said.

Tanner looked at his console. Everything appears quiet on the planet,
sir," he said.

Archer nodded and glanced at Hoshi, "Call Phlox."

Hoshi turned to her controls. After a moment she glanced at the
captain. "He's responding."

"Phlox," Archer said. "What's your status?"

"Captain! It's good to hear from you," the doctor's voice came over
the comms. "We're making progress here. One of the Surrurmaran
psychologists is on the case. I am confident she knows what she is
doing."

Archer thought he could hear a hint of doubt in the Denobulan's tone,
but he didn't mention it. "Any word on when you might be returning to
the ship? I could use Malcolm up here."

"I'm afraid I don't know, Captain," Phlox replied, "But I will keep
you informed." There was a pause. "Is everything all right up there?"

"We had a few...problems," Archer replied. "Nothing we can't handle."

As he nodded to Hoshi to shut off the comms Archer hoped that was the
truth. He still had the problem of determining which of his crew he
could trust.

---

In the infirmary, D'Laren paused in her meticulous instructions to
nursing staff regarding her patients and inclined her head as though
listening to some distant sound. A gasp broke from her lips and she
shook her head in mute denial.

Watching her, Phlox frowned.

"D'Laren?"

The psychologist didn't respond immediately, she held up one hand,
acknowledging his query, but she continued to listen to the inner
dialogue.

After a moment, she looked at Phlox. "D'Iarin is dead," She murmured.
"We must lose no time."

She moved to Reed's side, knowing that of the two he was stronger. "I
will need your help, Doctor. You will need to...hold him down."

Phlox nodded and moved to put his hands on Reed's shoulders. He met
D'Laren's eyes and nodded. "Ready," he said.

D'Laren pursed her lips and her bright green eyes closed. She touched
her fingertips to Reed's forehead and began to murmur words in the
same strange tongue that D'Naida had spoken when she first touched
Reed's hand.

Phlox felt a tremor run through Reed's body and he tightened his hold
on the lieutenant. He watched D'Laren intently, silently praying that
allowing her to touch Reed was the right thing to do.

An instant later, all thoughts of trust, wrong, or right were swept
away as Reed screamed and arched his back, trying to throw Phlox off
of him.

The Denobulan took a firmer hold and pressed the human male down with
all his weight.

Reed thrashed, his arms and legs flailing and Phlox muttered Denobulan
curses as he was struck several times, but he retained his hold on the
lieutenant, grimly holding on for all he was worth.

Beside Reed, Tucker stirred and called Malcolm's name. He appeared to
still be unconscious, but his arms encircled his partner and he
quieted. Reed seemed to relax briefly, and Phlox let out his breath on
a heartfelt sigh.

D'Laren raised her head and her eyes opened, but they were unfocussed
and glazed. She pressed her hands to Reed's temples and bowed her
head, her eyes closed again and she crooned to her patient in tones
that were more like song than speech.

Reed tensed, and the battle began anew.

---

In her cell, D'Naida raged. She paced the length of the small room
restlessly, halting now and again to press her hands to her temples
and mutter in an undertone. They were fighting her off. Reed and
Tucker, drawing strength from each other and aided...aided by whom?
She couldn't identify the heavily shielded mind that augmented their
strength. D'Naida snarled and spun on one heel to pace to the other
end of her cell. They must not be allowed to break her influence. She
closed her eyes and poured all of her mental faculties into an assault
that reached beyond the frail human minds to the other. She would not
be beaten now...not when her plans were so close to fruition!

---

D'Laren began to tremble, her hands breaking the contact with Reed for
an instant as she collected herself and then dove back into the silent
fight for control of the human's mind. She must not fail in this. She
would not allow D'Naida to use these men as instruments in her plans.

A fine sheen of perspiration broke out on the psychologist's brow and
she knit her brows together, breathing heavily as she countered
D'Naida's assault. {Reed, Tucker,} she called telepathically. {Fight!}

Phlox struggled to keep Reed still as he glanced up at the
bio-readouts above the bed. He could make little sense of the
readings. Synaptic readings were off the scale, and Reed's heart-rate
was elevated, his blood pressure edged towards critical and Phlox
ground his teeth, praying that D'Laren knew what she was doing. A part
of his mind screamed at him to call a stop to the procedure but he was
unsure if that would cause worse damage at this point; he was not even
sure if administering any drugs would adversely affect the outcome.

Drawing a deep breath, he shook his head and decided that for now, he
would simply comply with D'Laren's request and hold Reed down.

D'Laren's voice raised and her words tumbled out in rapid succession.
She firmly pressed her palms against the lieutenant's temples.

Reed arched, cried out and finally subsided into silence as his body
went completely limp under Phlox.

Slowly, the Denobulan raised his eyes to the bio screen, afraid to
look, convinced Reed was dead.

---

D'Naida felt her control slipping. Reed and Tucker were pulling away
from her. She could no longer reach Tucker; her hold on him had been
tenuous from the beginning, and he slipped out of her reach more
rapidly than Reed did, but she could feel Tucker pulling Reed with him
and her hold on his mind grew weaker.

"No!" D'Naida shrieked.

This couldn't be happening, where were her followers, the ones who had
sworn to aid her in her fight...where were the minds that had helped
her against the Vulcan. Why weren't they fighting?

Desperately, she lashed out one last time through the fading link with
Reed, striking at the powerful, shielded mind that had pulled the
humans away.

The backlash to her assault was immediate and devastating. D'Naida
shrieked in agony and reeled to the floor. She lay there, unmoving,
her breathing ragged, and finally with the knowledge that she was
beaten, came a name.

D'Naida opened her eyes and struggled to lift her head. "D'Laren..."
She sighed, and then let her head fall to the floor again.

It was over.

---

The atmosphere in the infirmary gave no indication of the drama that
had so recently unfolded. Tucker and Reed rested quietly, their vital
signs strong and stable.

D'Laren lay on another bed, deeply asleep, and Phlox monitored all
three of them with satisfaction. He would never fully understand all
that had transpired, but it was enough to him, to know that his
patients were out of danger.

The Denobulan sighed and turned to look over his shoulder as the
infirmary doors opened and D'Taar entered, followed by D'Kahl and
Captain Archer. The doctor walked forward to greet them.

"I'm happy to say that all of my patients are resting comfortably," he
said with a broad, triangular smile. The Surrumaran males nodded,
D'Taar moving past the doctor to his bond-mate's side.

Phlox turned to the captain. "I trust everything is all right on board
the ship?"

Archer nodded. "Everything's fine. Once the rebels here were subdued
by the triads...our people were released." He frowned. "I think you
will need to work with Johansson for a while though; he blames himself
for..." Archer trailed off, realizing that Phlox didn't know about
Crewman West's death yet. There was a lot that Phlox would need to be
briefed on. The captain glanced towards the two officers who still
shared the same bed.

Phlox turned and walked over to them, waving the captain to follow.

"They're sleeping," he said in answer to the unspoken question in
Archer's eyes. "D'Laren managed to wrest control from D'Naida, and
then restored Lieutenant Reed to his own mind." Phlox' smile was
almost a wince. "It was...not an easy time."

"D'Naida?" Archer glanced around.

"I'm afraid I don't know anything about her condition, Captain.
D'Laren said she will be cared for, but they have removed her from the
planet. It was considered...prudent under the circumstances."

Archer nodded, his expression tinged with regret.

"D'Taar told me they were able to put down the rebellion by using
something D'Laren discovered about Trip and Malcolm..."

"Oh?"

Archer nodded. "Apparently, their...bond with each other was what kept
them alive...their...love strengthened them. D'Laren ordered that each
telepathic triad should contain one bonded pair."

Phlox met the captain's eyes with a small shrug. "Wasn't it one of
your planet's sages that once said...'love conquers all.'?"

"Virgil," Archer agreed. "I guess he was right."

---

The End