Retrieval

Disclaimer. Enterprise characters belong to the creators of the show. Only the OC's and the story are mine. Any similarity to another show is the fault of the muses. I make no income from this story. Everyone knows they do not have money on Starships

The Thebians are loosely based on the old Battlestar Galactica that was a 1979 TV series created by Glenn A. Larson. All of the Thebian characters are my own.

The 1/7th Rangers were never called Rangers in episode, The Expanse. They came into being in my story "Into the Valley of Death". So far my OC's are: Sergeant Major Benjamin Snowden, Sergeant Joe Layne, Sergeant Tina Alvarado, and Sergeant Manda Alvarado. Dana Heard belongs to Dee.

This is a continuing saga that started in Road Map to the Stars, Phoenix, Déjà Vué, Khu , Target Xindi and A Really Bad Day; which I highly recommend that you read first.

Jonathan Archer painfully opened his eyes. His arms ached from being strung up like a side of beef while his bruised ribs hurt from being used as a punching bag by the Reptilian. He turned his head towards the entrance of this torture chamber when he heard footsteps. ‘Round eight or is it nine.’

He watched as Degra and an Arboreal Xindi walked in. He waited in anticipation for the Reptilian. What comebacks could he use to insult the one responsible for his beating?

Degra and the Arboreal lifted him up and slipped the chains from the ceiling hook. Degra unfastened the manacles. "You are a brave man to stand up to a Reptilian. Brave or illogical."

Archer chuckled. "I have been told that a few times by my Science Officer. What are you planning on doing now?"

"We are taking you to a secret meeting with the Aquatics. They wish to question you about your accusations. Don’t worry, it is secret meaning that the Reptilians and Insectoids will not be attending."

"Don’t trust them?"

Degra looked at Archer. "They are the reason our home world was destroyed and the Avians are now extinct."

Archer straightened himself up. "What about my ship?"

"Your ship was attacked by four Reptilian ships and was heavily damaged. Some of the crew were sucked into space. The attackers were destroyed when helped arrived. Tell me Captain. You came into the expanse with one ship. Now you have a fleet of nineteen ships. How do you explain that?"

"It’s nice to have friends."

"Well your friends have surrounded the Enterprise and are in the process of repairing it. They apparently have also recovered your dead. It won’t belong before the ship is fully functional."

"Do you know how many of my crew survived?"

Degra shook his head. "Sadly no, but the others are helping the survivors."

"See what happens when you have friends?"

The Xindi nodded. "It is strange. We detected a small ship entering our defenses. They scanned the surface but seemed to be concentrating on an area about five kilometers from us. It is illogical." Degra scratched his head. "Come, it is time to go."

On board Enterprise, Reed sat at his rebuilt console. "Sub-Commander."

Sitting in the Command Chair, T’Pol turned her head to the Lieutenant but did not reply.

Reed nodded. "Our latest scans show only one human bio sign on the surface of the planet. The second one has moved underwater."

T’Pol nodded and stared at the view screen where Azati Prime was visible. She stood up and walked toward the Ready Room. "Have Sergeant Major Snowden and his team report to the Ready Room. Ensign Sato, contact the Isiris and patch it there as well."

Five Minutes later, Ben and Dana walked into the Ready Room. They saw T’Pol at the porthole, staring into space as a Destroyer came into view. She turned to the Rangers. "Please sit down. Where is the rest of your team?"

Snowden pulled out a chair for Dana. "Of my core team, Sergeant Layne and Tina Alvarado are flying a snoop and scoot on the planet. Sergeant Manda Alvarado and UnderSergeant Swordbreaker are still recovering from their injuries. Manda is doing nicely and Xris is almost ready to have a permanent prosthesis attached. "

"Bridge to T’Pol. I have Commander Manethô."

"Very good. Patch it in here."

Manethô’s face appeared on the view screen as T’Pol faced it. "Commander Manethô, we have received scans indicating that there is a human bio sign on the surface and one underwater."

Manethô nodded. "We have received the same information, Sub-Commander. The question is which one is the Captain and who is the other one?"

"Commander, I am of the opinion that Jonathon, I mean Captain Archer is the one underwater."

Ben looked at T’Pol. Can you be sure?"

T’Pol shook her head. "No but I believe it would be what the Captain calls a gut feeling."

Ben turned to Manethô. "I can buy that but I would really like to know who the other human is. Is he or she an enemy or a captive? I can’t believe that whoever it is would help the Xindi attack Earth. Sub-Commander, Captain Archer told me about a time traveler named Daniels, could it be him?"

"Unknown."

Manethô thought a moment. "Sub-Commander, is there anyway that you could compare the bio signs in your data base of all crewmen who have ever served on Enterprise with the one on the surface?"

T’Pol arched an eyebrow as she as she hit the intercom. T’Pol to Lieutenant Reed."

"Reed here."

"Send the bio scans from the planet to the Ready Room." She hit the intercom again. "T’Pol to Phlox."

"Phlox here, Sub-Commander."

"Send the bio scans of all Enterprise crew past and present to the Ready Room."

"Not a problem. Do you wish me there as well?"

"That would be helpful. T’Pol out." She looked at the screen. "Commander, I will get back to you. Enterprise out." She looked at Ben and Dana as Phlox walked in. "Whatever we find does not leave this room for the time being. Understood?"

Two hours later Dana gasped. "I believe I have found a match." She punched up the control on the station she was working at. Two scans showed on a split screen. "The left scan is the mystery person and the right scan is an Enterprise crew member." She overlaid the two scans. "There is no doubt."

T’Pol stood up and looked at the scans as Phlox confirmed the findings. "This is illogical. There must be some mistake."

Phlox looked up. "There is no mistake, Sub-Commander they are the same."

T’Pol sat down. "How could he be on the planet?" ‘I wish Jonathan was here.’

"Bridge to T’Pol."

"T’Pol here."

"Sub-Commander, we are being hailed by a Xindi ship. They have not charged weapons and only minimal shielding."

"Put it in here."

T’Pol let out a non-Vulcan gasp as she stared at the screen.

"Sub-Commander, request permission to come aboard."

"Permission granted, Captain. Will you need assistance?"

"No. I will be taking our guests to the morgue to examine the bodies we brought back from Detroit."

"Understood. I will meet you at the hatch. T’Pol out."

Three sighs broke out as Snowden walked to T’Pol. "At least we know he is alive and coming home."

T’Pol nodded. "Sergeant Major, I want you and Sergeant Heard with me. Doctor Phlox, meet us in the morgue." She tapped the intercom. "T’Pol to Lieutenant Reed."

"Reed here."

"Lieutenant, a Xindi ship with the Captain will be docking. No Security teams are to be present. The Captain will brief us later. T’Pol out."

Snowden looked at Dana. "Curiouser and curiouser."

Although T’Pol had seen Archer on the screen, she was unprepared for seeing him in person. As the hatch opened a man who looked like he had gone through a meat grinder approached. The swollen eye, split lip and puffy cheeks showed the damage that the Captain had endured.

"Welcome back Captain, is there anything we can do for you?"

"Just being here has helped, T’Pol."

He looked at Ben and Dana. "I will need your assistance in retrieving the bodies and equipment."

Ben nodded.

A half-hour later the Xindi departed. Degra turned to Archer as he left. "Captain, we will contact you shortly."

Archer nodded as T’Pol walked up beside him. T’Pol looked at Degra. "Sir, we have detected another human on Azati Prime. Can you tell me who it is?"

Degra looked shocked as he to the Arboreal. "Do you know anything about that?"

"No, but I will make an inquiry. Can you tell me where?"

T’Pol handed the Arboreal a PADD. He looked at the PADD and handed it back to T’Pol. "Those are the coordinates for a Arboreal hospital. I am as confused as you are as to why a human is there. Each species has it’s own hospital and the closest to humans would be the humanoid hospital. I will let you know what we find out."

As the hatch closed, Snowden turned to Archer. "Strike force is ready to go, Captain."

Archer nodded as he collapsed into Snowden’s arms. Phlox and T’Pol rushed over. T’Pol grabbed Archer’s left side as Ben took the right. They each slipped an arm under his legs and grabbed each other’s forearm. Phlox led the way to sickbay as Dana cleared the corridor ahead of them.

Phlox walked up to the view screen showing Captain Archer’s body as T’Pol, Ben and Dana crowded around him. He has a fractured eye socket, three cracked ribs and numerous contusions and abrasions. If he had sustained another blow to the eye, he would probably have a detached retina."

T’Pol looked at Archer. "When will he be able to return to duty?"

"He is badly dehydrated and he needs rest. I have given him a mild sedative to sleep and a glucose drip to rehydrate him. I would say when he awakens in two days, he will be fit for duty."

T’Pol turned to Ben. "Work with Lieutenant Reed to formulate a rescue party. Captive or collaborator, I want that human on board as soon as possible."

"Understood. Dana contact Joe and Tina and get them back. Contact Manda and Xris and see if they are fit for duty. Now would be a good time to get Xris back in a Cobra."

"Bridge to T’Pol."

"T’Pol here."

"The hull has been repaired and we have hull plating at one hundred percent. Lieutenants Lee and Hator, report the nacelles have been repaired and we have warp drive capabilities."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I will be on the bridge within the hour." She turned to Ben. "I want your strike force ready to go at a moments notice." She walked over to Archer and placed her hand on his. ‘Sleep well, Aisha and get well. I need you.’

Archer slowly opened his eyes in apprehension. ‘Where am I?’ He turned his head slowly as the vision of sickbay became clearer. 'I’m back.'

"Ah, Captain, you are awake."

Archer turned his head to see Phlox with his wide Denubian grin.

"How am I?"

"Well rested, I hope. Hungry?"

A growl erupted from Archer’s stomach.

"Phlox to T’Pol."

"T’Pol here."

"Captain Archer is awake and is hungry."

"Thank you Doctor, I will be there shortly. T’Pol out."

Fifteen minutes later, T’Pol walked into sickbay carrying a tray of food. "I stopped by the galley to obtain some nourishment for the Captain."

Archer grinned as he saw his Vulcan carrying food. "Thanks T’Pol. I am so hungry I could eat a horse."

T’Pol wrinkled her nose. "Why would you want to eat a beast of burden? It isn’t logical."

Archer chuckled. "I think I will have Hoshi find some English idioms for you to study. It means I am starved. What is it?"

"Chef would only say it was a recipe from his mother and that it is good for what ails you."

Archer took the cover off. "Ah, good old fashioned chicken soup, with large chunks of chicken. Look there is even a salad."

T’Pol picked up the salad. "I believe the salad is for me. I needed to talk to you and now is a good time." She turned to Phlox. "If you would please excuse us, Doctor."

Phlox grinned. "I don’t need to be told twice. Enjoy your meal." He closed the curtain to add some privacy.

Archer took a sip of soup. "Ill have to go easy on the chicken. I think my teeth are loose. Now what is it you have to tell me?"

"I have missed you, Captain. I didn’t want you to die."

"You that before I left. When I heard that the ship had lost crewmembers, I prayed that you were not among them. You don’t know how good it was to see you on the view screen."

"I too was pleased to see you. Really Captain, you should refrain from getting pummeled so much." She took a bite of salad.

Archer laughed. "I’ll try not to do that anymore than I have to. You know I was thinking. Since we have lost so many, I think Enterprise needs a chapel for anyone who wants to go to and meditate or pray to the deity of their choice. Most Earthmen believe in a single Deity although He may be known by different names."

T’Pol nodded. "I agree, I think that would help all of the crew, even the Thebians as they are monotheist in their beliefs also."

"Now what was Ben talking about concerning a human on Azati Prime?"

T’Pol put down her fork and swallowed the salad. "We discovered a human on the planet. Our scans indicated that the mystery human has been a crewmember on Enterprise. It is illogical, but the scans are correct."

"Who is it?"

T’Pol handed him a PADD. Archer scanned the information. "I don’t believe it. Why would they go to Azati Prime and how? This isn’t possible."

"Unknown as to how or why."

"Who else knows?"

"Only Doctor Phlox, Sergeant Major Snowden, Sergeant Heard, myself and now you. I didn’t feel it was prudent to disclose it to anyone else."

Archer nodded. "I chose a good First Officer."

"That remains to be seen, Captain. The ship is not in the same condition as it was when you left and a third of the crew is dead. If it were not for the Thebians, I doubt that we would be alive."

"Fortunately, T’Pol that did not happen." Archer thought a moment "I want you to search the data base for the proper protocol for this. He punched in the information into the PADD. "I can’t do anything for Starfleet personnel, but I want you to draw up commendations for every crew member, including yourself. That includes the living and the dead."

"I will attend to it." She placed her hand on Archer’s and moved closer. "I understand that this is a human custom. She stood up and kissed him on the forehead. As she moved back, Archer stopped her. "This is also a human custom." He pulled her back and kissed her on the lips. "When we are on the way home, I want to talk about furthering our friendship."

She lingered long enough to kiss him on the lips and trace his with her fingertips.

"Bridge to T’Pol."

"T’Pol here."

"Sub-Commander, Degra is hailing us and say it is urgent."

"Put it through."

Degra’s faced appeared. "Sub-Commander, Ah Captain Archer you look much better than the last time I saw you."

"Thanks. You said it was urgent."

"Yes, The Reptilians have stolen the weapon and are on their way to Earth. I am already after them. If you can catch up, I will take you with me."

"Send us the coordinates. We will meet you there." Archer turned to T’Pol. "Looks like our mission isn’t over yet."

"Archer to Snowden"

"Snowden here, Captain."

"I want you and your team to meet me in the Ready Room in five minutes."

"Roger."

"Archer to Bridge."

"Lieutenant Reed here, Captain."

"Have Ensign Sato get Commander Manethô on the horn and pipe it into the Ready Room. Then she can join me there." Archer slipped off of the biobed and started to walk. He turned to T’Pol. "Coming?"

"Of course."

Archer sat at the console as the Rangers and T’Pol stood behind him. Commander Manethô’s face showed on the screen. "Commander, the Reptilians have stolen the weapon and are heading for Earth. I am taking Enterprise to intercept. At the same time we have a mystery human on the planet."

"Captain may I suggest that one Battle Group remain here and conduct the rescue operation while the rest follow you?" We may not have your speed, but we are not slow either."

Archer nodded as he turned to Ben. "Sergeant Major, I want you with me but I need someone to go to the planet."

"Dana will lead the rescue team. Xris and Manda are on the Thebes at the moment, but can fly cover. Joe and Tina can come with us."

"Sorry Ben, but I need Joe on the Enterprise. I am taking Hoshi with me, as I need the best linguist I can get. Joe will be the liaison between the Battle Group and the rescue team." He stood up. "I was going to do this after I checked with the proper protocol, but it seems we are pressed for time. I am promoting Tina, Manda and Joe to the rank of Staff Sergeant. I am promoting Dana to the rank of Sergeant First Class and you Ben are to be Command Sergeant Major. Congratulations. Sergeant First Class Heard, will you please accept the rank insignia for Manda?"

"Yes, Sir."

Archer turned back to Manethô. "Which Battle Group will be staying?"

"Since the Thebes is still repairing some damage, it will remain until the rescue operation is completed."

"Good." He turned to the Rangers. "Prepare to leave for the Thebes within the hour. Sergeant Heard. Godspeed and do what you think best to retrieve the human. Dismissed."

The Rangers snapped to attention and then turned to leave. As the Rangers proceeded out of the door, Ben pulled Dana aside. "You be careful down there."

Dana gave a grim smile. "Don’t worry about me. I am going on a cakewalk but you are going into combat. You make sure you come back, or I will kick your ass all the way back to Earth." She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Down the corridor, Joe took Hoshi aside. "There has been so much going on that this is the first chance I have had to see you since Enterprise was attacked. My heart was in my throat when I saw the damage to the ship."

Hoshi cuddled up beside him. "It was terrifying but when I saw your Cobra fly by, I knew we were going to be ok." She saw the pained look on his face. "What’s wrong."

"Hoshi, I was the first Cobra on the scene and I found the bodies floating in space. I died when I saw the body of a Starfleet woman with long dark hair. I thought I lost you and I nearly jumped out of my Cobra when I heard your voice on the radio. Now you are going into danger again. I don’t want to lose you."

Hoshi grinned. "I am a linguist, you are a fighter pilot. Which is more dangerous?"

Joe shook his head. "Don’t ask me that question until we are together again." He leaned down and kissed her before he turned away and walked towards the hanger deck.

As Archer and T’Pol exited the Ready Room, they saw the two couples and waited a moment. Archer turned when he realized someone was behind him and saw Tina.

"Sir, with your permission, may I have a moment of Lieutenant Reed’s time?"

Archer smiled. "I forget that I lost my Armory Officer to a Ranger. You are officially engaged?"

"Yes Sir, but I haven’t seen him since the attack."

Archer nodded. "I think we can spare him for a few moments." He hit the intercom. "Archer to Reed, report to the Ready Room."

Malcolm hurried to the Ready Room and was startled as he saw the Captain and T’Pol pass him by. Archer nodded with his head. "There is someone waiting to see you."

Reed barely cleared the doorway when he was grabbed by the arm and pushed up against the wall. Soft moist lips attacked him. He pushed her back. "Tina I am on duty."

"Shut up and kiss me, Malcolm. I have the Captain’s permission."

Reed circled her in his arms and complied.

Ranger Shuttle One and one Cobra barely cleared Enterprise when the Starship went to warp. Tina keyed her mic. "If I didn’t know that the Battle Group was a few minutes away, That would be a very unsettling sight. Don’t worry Dana, Ben will be back."

"I am not worried. The universe is not large enough for him to get lost in, and if he died, it isn’t big enough to hide his killer."

"That’s my girl, I mean Sergeant First Class."

Dana laughed. "I suspect that a certain Staff Sergeant feels the same way about a certain Lieutenant. Oh, Captain Archer said for me to give these insignia to Manda, but I think it would be more appropriate for you to pin them on her."

"Thanks Dana, I would love to. I wonder why the Captain didn’t promote Xris?"

"Xris is a Thebian and his promotion must come from Commander Manethô, which it has. He will be the new Flight Sergeant which is equivalent to our Staff Sergeant."

Tina snickered. "I wonder how Manda and Xris will decide who will be the ranking person?"

"Knowing your sister, I think Manda will always be on top."

Tina laughed loudly. "Dana you are horrible."

Dana ignored the comment and hit her mic. "Pamiu approach, this is Ranger One requesting permission for one shuttle and one Cobra to land."

"Ranger One, use launch bay Bravo. We are launching in Alpha as soon as you are aboard."

"Roger. Tina you land first as you are faster."

"See you on board Dana."

Manda and Xris stood on the observation deck and watched the two craft land. As soon as the engines shut down they took the lift to the hanger deck. Manda raced out of the door and hugged her sister. She stopped and looked at Tina’s collar insignia. "Congratulations Staff Sergeant." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dana pass something to Tina.

Tina pushed her away. "Sergeant Manda Alvarado, by Captain Archer’s orders, you are hereby promoted to Staff Sergeant." She removed the old rank and attached the new insignias to Manda’s collar.

Xris walked up slowly. "Congratulations to all three of you."

Dana smiled. "Joe made Staff Sergeant also."

The lift swished open and Commander Kiya entered the hanger deck. "Under Sergeant Swordbreaker."

Xris snapped to attention, as did the three women.

"I hereby promote you to the rank of Flight Sergeant. Congratulations."

Xris opened his mouth to reply but the three women engulfed him. Kiya grinned as she turned and walked away. "Ah youth."

Dana piloted Ranger One to the predetermined coordinates a click away from the hospital in the middle of the Xindi night while Xris and Manda flew over the landing zone. Two Thebian Rangers took up positions to guard the ship as Dana, Corporals Chang, Romero and Cole cleared the zone at a run. Meeting no resistance, the team pulled up short of the hospital and stayed in the shadows. Change and Romero did a quick perimeter check and met back with Dana and Amanda.

Chang drew a diagram in the dirt. "We have an entry point here, here and here." He pointed to the main entrance and two others. Which way do you want to go in?"

"The target is closer to the main door and fortunately on the first floor. Chang take the right entrance, Romero the left. Amanda and I will take the direct approach." She grinned. "Remember the object is to secure the target, not leave a lot of dead Xindi. Stun settings only unless things get hairy."

Two minutes later, Dana and Amanda walked into the hospital as if they were coming to visit a patient. A young Xindi female sat behind the reception desk looked up at the visitors and smiled. "May I help you?"

She gulped when Amanda stuck her rifle in the girl’s face.

Dana leaned non-chalantly on the counter. "We are here to see a friend."

The girl recovered. "Oh you must be here for the human patient. Let me call the doctor on duty." Before Dana or Amanda could react, Amanda shot the girl in the chest as the girl pressed a hidden button. Amanda took up a blocking position as Dana tried to locate any keys. She turned as Amanda made a clicking sound with her tongue to see an Arboreal male in a white coat walk in. He looked at the hapless girl on the floor and froze.

Dana stood up and pointed her rifle. "She is only stunned, not dead. We are here for the human."

"I am Doctor Pasquatch. There is no need for weapons. I will take you to the person you seek."

Dana lowered the barrel of her rifle. "How did he come to be here?"

"The Insectoids intercepted a small craft that contained many bodies. I presume it was a burial pyre. I was in charge of a hospital facility on a primitive planet. The Insectoids wanted me to dissect the bodies but I refused. I scanned the bodies and found one that had a faint spark of life. I managed to smuggle him out and fled in my private ship. I heard later that the outpost had been destroyed."

Dana stopped Pasquatch. "Is he alive?"

The doctor nodded. "It took a month before he fully recovered and then he became combative. He performed some strange ritual and then attacked some of the staff. We had to restrain him for a month. Recently he has been more responsive, but we still restrain him for our own safety." He stopped at a door and unlocked it.

Dana and Amanda walked in as Chang and Romero caught up to them. They looked in as they covered the door. In the corner, facing away from the door was a man with shaggy long hair in a straight jacket. He turned to the Rangers.

Amanda let out a cry. "My God, its Major Hayes!"

Dana pushed the Doctor toward Hayes. "Get those restraints off of him."

"No, you can’t. He is mad. He will destroy you."

"If he is mad, it is you who caused him to go mad." She turned to Hayes. "Major Hayes, do you know who I am?"

"Sergeant Dana Heard." He looked closer. "My mistake, Sergeant First Class Dan Heard."

"He is not mad Doctor, but I would imagine he is really pissed off." She took out a combat knife and cut the restraints. "Come Major, our limo awaits."

"Lead the way Sergeant." He looked at Pasquatch. "I was dead and you brought me back. I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you."

"I did what I thought was right. The Insectoids would have cut you into little pieces while you were still alive."

Hayes nodded as he followed his escort. Chang led the way out as Romero covered the rear, but no attack came. A half-hour later Ranger One was airborne. Dana clicked the mic. "Ranger One to Sergeant Layne."

"Layne here."

"The bird is in the coup and we are coming home to roost."

Hayes looked out of the cockpit window and stared at the Battle Group. He looked at Dana. "Sergeant, I think there is a lot of things you need to tell, like where is Enterprise and who are these people?"

"Enterprise is chasing the Reptilians who have stolen the weapon. These are one of three Battle groups of Task Force Enterprise, Commanded by Captain Archer. There will be plenty of time to brief you Major. At the moment, we need to get on board the Battlestar Pamiu and follow Enterprise. My Command Sergeant Major will need me."

"I wish I had a woman like you."

Dana grinned. "Watch it Major, you don’t want to end up back in a funeral pyre, do you?"

"Nope. Ben Snowden is not a man I want to trifle with over his woman. No Dana, I am not looking for you, just someone like you."

"Well maybe when this is over, perhaps the Alvarados and I can find you a girl."

"Hmm, what about that Ensign Communications Officer?"

"You mean Hoshi? If you think Ben would be tough, you haven’t had it out with Joe. He and Hoshi are a couple. You might as well try to make time with T’Pol. Then you would only have to deal with Captain Archer and remember he survived the Xindi."

"There aren’t that many women on Enterprise."

"That’s true, but there are a lot of women in the fleet."

Hayes looked at Dana. "How big is this fleet?"

"Let’s see, besides enterprise there are three Battlestars and fifteen destroyers. Approximately ten thousand and five hundred people crew with another ten thousand on a planet that we intend to pick up on the way out of the expanse. A third of the crew are unattached women. There are over one thousand pilots not counting the Colonial Marines and Warriors. We have quite a few on Enterprise to replace those Rangers who perished."

Hayes nodded his head. "Who did Archer appoint to head the Rangers, that Brit Reed?"

"No, Ben. He was the natural one to lead the Rangers since he has been a Ranger since he was nineteen years old. Besides Lieutenant Reed has his hands full with his fiancée."

"Who might that be?"

"Tina and before you ask Manda is engaged to her Thebian wingman, Xris Swordbreaker."

Hayes laughed. "Now that is a name would instill fear."

"What about Kathy Lee?"

"She is the new Chief Engineer and she and a Thebian Engineer by the name of Senbi Hator seem to be hitting it off."

"I was only gone three months, not three years."

"What can I tell Major? Time goes fast when you are having fun." Dana looked at her instruments. "We are ready to dock. Take a look at what we are landing on."

Hayes let out a low whistle. "How big is that baby?"

"Twelve Hundred and sixty meters. Enterprise is one hundred and ninety meters. See those destroyers. They are one thousand and seventy four meters long. The Xindi didn’t have anything that big, but they did have some suicide squads attack. The Thebes was hurt and the First Officer was killed. That’s where Manda and Xris wee wounded."

"As soon as we land and get underway, you and I are going to meet with Tina, Manda and this Xris person."

Enterprise hurled through space using a Xindi transportal trying to catch the Reptilians.

"Engineering to Bridge."

"Archer here."

"Sir, this is Lieutenant Lee. I recommend that we drop out of the transportal. We are getting some dangerous readings."

"How dangerous?"

"Does the word Kaboomb meaning anything to you?"

"What do you think our top speed has been?"

"I would hazard a guess that we have been exceeding warp 8, even though the engines register 4.5. I think we will be fine at regular warp."

"Very well." He turned to Travis. "Drop out of the transportal, Mister Mayweather."

"Aye, Aye Sir. Dropping out of transportal. Going to warp 4.5."

At the Communications station, Layne turned to Archer. "Sir, we just got a message from Sergeant Heard. The mission was a success." The console beeped. "Sir, Degra is hailing us."

"On screen."

Degra’s face appeared. "Captain, we detected you dropping out of the transportal. Is everything all right?"

"We were having some engine issues. We will be fine at Warp 4.5."

"Understood. I am turning around to pick you up."

"Thank you. My team will be waiting for you."

"How many are you taking?"

"Myself, a linguistic expert and four Rangers."

"Very good. I will be there in twenty of your minutes. Degra out."

Archer turned to T’Pol. "While I am gone I want you to try and take out one of those spheres. Be Careful, I want the ship in one piece when I get back. The fleet should be assembled before you attack."

T’Pol nodded. "I will lead a boarding party with Sergeant Layne."

Reed looked up. Captain, Sub-Commander, as head of ships Security I should be leading the boarding party."

T’Pol looked at Archer then Reed. "Ordinarily you would be correct Lieutenant, however I will need you on board to handle the ships weapons, should it come to that."

Reed nodded. "I understand. Does that mean I can blow up something?"

Archer laughed. "I think that is safe to safe that you probably will be able to try out the modifications that were made."

Reed grinned. "Sir, do we know who the human was?"

"Yes Lieutenant, be we do not have all the particulars at the moment. It can wait until the Reptilians are stopped."

The interdiction team and T’Pol waited at the airlock as Degra’s ship latched on. T’Pol looked at Archer. "Please be careful. You don’t need any more bruising and I need you to come back in one piece."

Archer smiled. "I will. You be careful also. I have two things I need you to do. First talk to Doctor Phlox. Find out how he missed a life sign. I would hate to think that we sent a live person into space with the dead."

"I will. I do know that he has been checking all of his instruments and berating himself."

"That’s why I want you to talk to him and encourage him. He’s the best damn Doctor in Starfleet. The second thing I want you to do is contact Sergeant Heard. I don’t want our recovered crewman to be alone. I want to be sure that he isn’t a plant."

"You suspect he is a flower?"

Archer shook his head. "No I want to be sure that he is who he is supposed to be and not a clone under the control of the Xindi."

T’Pol nodded. "That is a wise precaution. I will see to it immediately."

Ben turned to the team as the airlock opened. "Boots and saddles people." He led the team on board the Xindi vessel as Archer and T’Pol said their good-byes the Vulcan way. They raised their hands and touched.

"Live long and prosper, Jonathan."

"Live long, T’Pol."

She watched him as he walked through the airlock and the door closed. She hit the comm button. "Sergeant Layne. Get a secure communication with the Thebes. I need to speak to Sergeant Heard and Commander Kiya."

"At once Sub-Commander."

As she walked to the Ready Room, T’Pol remembered a saying Hoshi had taught her. "Vaya con Dios, Jonathon."