The Miles That Lay Ahead- Chapter 31

The Miles That Lay Ahead

by Gabi

Genre: Action/Adventure/Angst

This chapter is rated PG-13

~~~~~

Chapter 31

"Archer to Phlox."

"Phlox here."

"Doc, the shuttle has just docked."

"Thank you, Captain, I'm prepared."

Grinning broadly, Phlox turned back to his patient who lay on the biobed and had been going through a lot of tests since the early morning. Phlox examined his scanner. "It looks like this T-18 has indeed disappeared completely, Commander. I can't detect even a trace of it. I think you'll be spared any after-effects."

Trip grimaced. "The direct effects were bad enough."

"Jeren told me about it. I can imagine it was an awful experience." Phlox offered Trip his hand to help him sit up, gently pushing the engineer's legs over the bedside at the same time.

Trip looked down at his lower legs that were still swinging from the movement. "Well, now there's only the T-14 left, Doc. Any changes?"

Phlox looked at his results. "According to the analysis Jeren has shown me, it seems to be receding slightly. You have to admit that the last days didn't really help speed up the healing process. Have you resumed your exercises?"

"Let's say Malcolm did, Doc. He already told me that we're gonna do the big program tonight."

Phlox smiled. "Just don't overdo it, alright?"

"Of course not, Doc. I'll stay out of trouble this time, I promise. I know what's at stake. What about my duty?"

"Hm." Phlox pondered.

"C'mon, Doc," Trip urged before the doctor had a chance to say something. "They need me in engineerin'."

"Oh, they managed perfectly well without you during the last ten days, Commander."

Trip only looked at Phlox.

"Don't give me that look, Commander." Phlox sighed. "Very well, Mr. Tucker, you may do duty at own assessment. But I will not hesitate to put you to bed if I see you're overexerting yourself. And if I hear about you pulling any silly stunt, I'll keep you here in sickbay for the next month or so. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly well, Doc." Trip looked up when the sickbay doors opened. Erianna and Jeren entered the room, followed by Yanis and Malika who heavily leaned on her son's arm. Malcolm brought up the rear. Phlox went over to welcome the guests.

Malika smiled when she saw Trip sitting on the bed and limped over to him. During his time in her house Trip hadn't been aware of how badly she was limping. The fracture in her right shin was clearly visible. The leg looked strangely crooked, and her foot gave way with every step. She hugged him.

"Trip, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Malika, it's good to see you."

"Malcolm told me you've persuaded your captain to allow your doctor operate on my leg?"

"There wasn't much persuadin' to do." Trip smiled. "We're happy that we can help you."

"Is it really true what Jeren told us? Your doctor can heal broken bones?" Malika asked excitedly.

Trip's smile broadened. "Yep, that's true."

"Even ours?" Malika still couldn't believe it.

"Look at Jeren. He's the living proof. His shoulder is almost as good as new."

"But my leg was broken such a long time ago."

Trip patted her arm. "Believe me, Malika, Phlox will manage. Don't give up, okay?"

The woman nodded. "I'm still a little bit anxious."

"There's no need to be, Malika. Our doctor'll take good care of you. Guess he wants to examine you. I'll make room for you." Trip threw a glance at Malcolm, silently asking for his help, and the armory officer stepped up beside him at once. By now, Reed knew exactly what Trip could do on his own and where he still needed some assistance. Trip was able to hoist himself up onto a sickbay bed, but he would lose his balance on the way back down onto his wheelchair's seat.

"Thanks, Malcolm." Trip put his feet onto the footrest and looked over at Erianna and Jeren. "So, what's new on Renelan?"

Yanis, who was now standing beside his mother, smiled at him. "We were very relieved to see the three of them and to hear that all of you are okay. We were afraid that Tasur had captured you."

"So we started the documentation," Malika explained. "We thought that your sacrifice shouldn't have been in vain."

"We know, we saw the documentation. It was great.

"That's mostly due to Erianna's efforts. And yours, of course. And Kenan helped us a lot by getting the material from the Health Center and doing the presentation."

Yanis gave Jeren an apologetic look. "We couldn't show up, Jeren. I hope you understand that."

"Of course I do. You have to look after Malika and your baby." Jeren sighed. "I did Kenan awfully wrong, thinking of him as a spy."

"And what will happen next?" Trip wanted to know.

"Arissa will send the documentation every four hours," Jeren told him. "And she's preparing another broadcast with Kenan to tell our people about our rescue and suggest the possibility that there might be a solution to our problem. We can't go into detail before we've spoken to the Alkiran president and know what he thinks about it, but that's no reason not to give the people some hope. They'll also tell our people that you, our human friends, are going to help us make a cure for CDS. I took my disc with me and as soon as Dr. Phlox finds the time, I'm sure he will be happy to help me synthesize an antidote."

Trip nodded. "Sounds good. Will you accompany me to the bridge? It's about time the cap'n gets to know about all of this. I guess he'll set a course to Alkira immediately."

"Would you please excuse me to your captain," Jeren asked. "I want to assist Doctor Phlox with Malika's examination."

-###-

"Come on, Trip, don't be so lazy."

"Lazy?" Trip exclaimed, panting. The fact that he couldn't move his legs and couldn't press against Malcolm's hands didn't mean the exercises were easy for him. He was sweating. But it felt good to challenge his body. Malcolm kept a careful watch over him and would stop the exercises at once if he started yawning or looking tired. But he wasn't. He could feel the muscles in his legs getting stronger and there was one single muscle in his left calf that he could sometimes tense deliberately. His healing was improving and the tiredness was receding. Perhaps it was because he had learned to listen to the signals of his body and got some rest when he needed it. Duty on own assessment meant he could end his shift whenever he got tired. But he loved working again. His crew no longer tried to spare him but asked his advice like they used to do before his relapse. Erianna had been right. All he had to do was being honest about what he could do and what he couldn't. His crew seemed relieved that there was no need to carefully sneak around him anymore. Now the only thing to do was keeping them from getting overenthusiastic. This morning Hess actually had asked him whether she should order someone to clean the plasma coils or whether he wanted to give the order himself.

Being acting captain while Jon and T'Pol were on Alkira with Erianna and Jeren wasn't difficult, either. They had been staying on the planet for two days now, and their reports sounded promising. Finally, the whole matter seemed to come out quite good.

"Bridge to Commander Tucker."

Malcolm stood, taking the call for Trip.

"The captain's shuttle will dock in about two minutes, sir."

"Thanks, Hoshi." Trip used his hands to push himself into a sitting position and recognized that he could do so more easily than the day before.

Malcolm shook his head. "We're not done here yet, Trip."

"You heard Hoshi, Malcolm. The cap'n's comin' back. I have to go to the bridge."

Malcolm wasn't impressed. "I'm sure the captain can dock the shuttle without you being on the bridge. And besides, you can't meet them like that, all sweaty from exercising. Think of T'Pol's sensitive nose. Come on. A few more exercises. You're almost done."

Trip resigned and started with some sit-ups to strengthen the muscles in his stomach, while Malcolm held his legs down and sometimes offered him a helping hand when he was losing his balance.

They both looked up when Jeren entered the room. "Hey guys, Hoshi told me where to find you." Raising his hand to greet them, he sat down in Trip's wheelchair that stood beside the mats. "Looks good," he stated after watching Trip's efforts with interest.

Trip panted. "Guess it always looks good watchin' other people at work."

Jeren smiled sympathetically. "You're sweating," he noticed, slightly worried.

"No big surprise, after all I'm workin' with a slave driver like Malcolm. But I'm not tired at all."

"I didn't see him yawn a single time," Malcolm confirmed.

"That's a good sign," Jeren smiled. "Go on, I didn't want to interrupt you."

Trip gave Malcolm a sign to give him a rest and rolled onto his side. Propping up on his elbow, he supported his head with his hand. "C'mon Jeren, what happened? Have you been successful? You stayed away long enough."

"It was very interesting indeed. Alkiran's president, Deylan, was very pleased to make first contact with a species from so far away. He and Captain Archer got along very well. Deylan also had an open ear for our problems. He admitted that Alkira is underpopulated, and believes that they would be able to take in half the population of Renelan without any problems. Okay, 'problems' is relative, because such a project would require lots of organization, but there would be enough space for all of us."

"So he agreed to your plan?"

"He did, although there is a lot of negotiation to do. Captain Archer has agreed to pick up our governors and take them to Alkira for debates. They would also be able to inspect the surroundings. Always assuming that they are willing to change something. I hope in the meantime our organization was able to initiate a rethinking."

"They should value any option that would end the killing," Malcolm said.

"I guess Tasur thinks different. He would no longer be able to achieve his plan of having a province of young and healthy people. But I hope he will either show some sense or he will be replaced soon."

"What about the other seven governors?"

"They're not as opinionated as Tasur. We know that some of them are not comfortable with the situation as it is. But we'll see."

"How d'you think the resettlement will work?" Waving his hand, Trip shooed Jeren out of his wheelchair and got in with Malcolm's help.

"It won't be easy," Jeren admitted. "Captain Archer agreed to come back in a few months to play shuttle for us. He and T'Pol had a very interesting talk with Deylan about warp technology. Looks like the Alkirans are only a few steps away from developing their own warpdrive. Steps that could be shortened with your help, Trip."

Surprised, Trip looked up to Jeren. "I'm supposed to help the Alkirans develop warpdrive? And the cap'n agreed with this?"

"He said the Alkirans were on the right track and would only need a little help to show them the right direction."

"T'Pol is supporting this?"

"She had some concerns, but dismissed them for the benefit of our plan. If Alkiran ships were able to fly at warpspeed, it would be much easier to move from Renelan to Alkira or maybe even pay a visit to your family. We could grow to become a big social community, and who knows, perhaps we can even include Menaos."

"Big plans."

Jeren blushed slightly. "I know. Erianna thinks I'm getting too big for my boots. But you can always dream, can't you?"

"How is Erianna?"

Jeren smiled. "Oh, with the help of the government she managed to contact Carrin, our merchant friend. Well, she seems to be in seventh heaven right now."

Trip and Malcolm looked at each other, smiling. If anyone deserved a little happiness, Erianna did.

-###-

Malcolm pressed the panel next to Trip's door.

"Who's there?" The engineer's voice sounded strained.

"It's me, Malcolm."

"Come in."

Malcolm raised his eyebrows when he entered Trip's quarter. Trip lay on his bed, desperately struggling with a very persistent opponent.

"Take that silly grin off your face, Lieutenant. Just help me."

Malcolm's smile broadened. "Your uniform, Commander? How come?"

"Jeren and Erianna asked me to attend the negotiations. I can't just show up there in my jeans."

"Well, that’s right." Malcolm bent down to show Trip's feet the way out of the trousers.

"How are things comin'?" Trip asked.

"Seven of the governors are on board. Tasur is last. Travis is picking him and his company up at the moment. The captain said perhaps we would like to come and welcome him."

"I wouldn't miss it." Trip grinned sourly. "I'm eager to see his face when he meets us." He sighed. "Let's say, if I ever manage to get into this stupid overall."

-###-

Together they stood in front of the shuttle bay, waiting for the shuttle to dock. Erianna and Jeren told Trip and Malcolm what they had gathered from the other guests so far.

"Our documentation hit them like a bomb. All over Renelan there were demonstrations against the Health Centers. Almost the whole population was out on the streets. But all the same, everything went peacefully. It was good that Kenan appealed to their rationality, telling them it makes no sense to be furious at the governors. As far as I know, there were only two or three riots. After the last transmission their attitude changed again. Now everyone's hopefully awaiting the outcome of the negotiations. Most of the governors are extremely cooperative, glad to have a reason to stop with CDS. They are very reasonable people, very different from Tasur."

"What will happen if Tasur doesn't agree?" Malcolm asked.

Jeren shook his head. "He will. Tasur is only strong when other people do his work for him. He doesn't have the courage to stick to his opinion when the other seven governors disagree with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's even proud that we're from his province, saying that only his rigorous policy enabled us to act as we did."

"You're not serious, are you?" Frowning, Trip looked up at him.

"I bet Tasur will greet you as jovially and open-heartedly like he did the first time he met you."

"He can't act like he never gave the order to kill Trip and torture you," Malcolm stated, bewildered. "He knows that we know what he's done."

"That won't stop him from playing innocent. Tasur is always innocent, the fault always lies with someone else. You'll see."

-###-

Jeren turned out to be right. Tasur didn't show a trace of bad conscience when he stepped out of the shuttle and came over to greet them. On the contrary, he beamed like he had just met several long lost friends.

"I'm so glad to see you sound and healthy, Commander, Lieutenant. I was hoping so much to meet you again before you leave our planet and now I actually get the chance to do so."

Trip threw a disbelieving glance at Malcolm. Noticing his expression, Tasur broadened his smile. "You don't think I have anything to do with these perfidious attacks on you, Commander, do you? I've already released Dorsik from his duty. It's unbelievable what he has done."

Jon stepped up beside them. He was smiling, but Trip saw the grim expression in his eyes and knew his captain could hardly restrain himself. Seemingly accidentally, he laid his hand on Trip's shoulder, shooting Tasur an angry glance. "I'm glad to hear that," he said in a tone of voice that made clear he didn't believe a word of what Tasur had said. "I'm very happy to have my chief engineer back, unharmed. And the same goes for my armory officer." Archer nodded at Malcolm.

"Armory officer?" Tasur's jaw dropped. "You never told us, Lieutenant, that you're the armory officer of your ship," he exclaimed reproachfully. "My men would have been enthusiastic to hear that."

"How is Rassik doing, Governor?" Malcolm asked friendly.

"Rassik?" For just a moment Tasur's facade dropped and they could see an old man who knew that he had lost. But he was spared an answer when they heard another voice.

"Malcolm!" Reed barely had the time to turn his head when Farina came running and flung her arms around his neck. "Malcolm! I'm so glad to see you."

Malcolm saw Trip's grin, Archer's surprised expression and T'Pol's raised eyebrows and wished for the floor to open up and swallow him. He took Farina's arms from his neck, gently but firmly extricating himself from her grip.

"But, Malcolm..." she stammered, disappointed.

"I'm on duty, Farina," he explained stiffly.

Tasur had managed to get a hold of himself again. Patronizingly, he laid his arm around Farina's shoulders. "I'm sure, Lieutenant Reed will have some time for you later on, Farina. Come on now, the captain wants to show us our quarters."

Behind Farina, Harek had climbed out of the shuttle. He wasn't a good actor like Tasur and clearly felt uncomfortable. He gave Trip a sheepish look. "I'm happy to see you, Commander. And you too, Jeren." He pointed at the sling that supported Jeren's arm. "What's with your arm?"

"I broke my shoulder," Jeren explained, his voice cold as ice.

"Broke?" Harek inhaled sharply.

"Don't act so surprised. You knew very well what could happen if your bullet hit me. But don't worry, Enterprise's doctor was able to heal the fracture."

"I'm glad to hear that, Jeren. It's good to see you and the Commander in good health."

"No thanks to you," Jeren snapped angrily.

Harek shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Believe me, Jeren, shooting you was the hardest thing I ever had to do."

"But you did it nevertheless."

"What exactly do you blame me for, Jeren? For putting my loyalty to the governor and his orders before our friendship?"

"No, Harek, I blame you for putting your loyalty before your conscience and allowing it to cloud your judgment." Jeren pointed at the door. "Your governor is waiting for you, Harek. You should hurry."

Trip looked after Harek. It seemed like his friendship with Jeren was damaged beyond repair. But he couldn't blame Jeren that he didn't want to have anything to do with the man who had shot him. He felt Enterprise going to warp. They were on their way to Alkira to meet president Deylan and his government. Then the negotiations could begin.

-###-

For six days, Enterprise had been in a low orbit around Alkira. The crew had got some days off which they mostly spent on the planet's white sandy beaches. So far, the negotiations were going well. Renelan's governors felt relieved at the idea of no longer having to limit the population numbers by force. Even Tasur had dismissed the thought of having a planet of only young people, coming to terms with the notion of having old and disabled persons around as well.

Archer and T'Pol helped to work out plans for the resettlement. It was a logistic challenge, since Deylan was willing to provide areas for about two million Renelan people. They wouldn't come all at once, of course. The number of the first settlers had been reduced to a few thousand. Archer had promised to bring them and their equipment to Alkira. More settlers were going to be picked up later on by Alkiran ships, which would be equipped with warp drive by then.

Trip spent most of his time with the engineering team that was working on the warpdrive. He found it very satisfying to work with the open-hearted and intelligent Alkiran engineers. Malcolm barely ever left his side. Trip knew that his friend saw himself as his personal guardian angel, but he also had the distinct feeling that Malcolm was trying to avoid Farina. The girl was still very persistent in seeking Malcolm's company, completely ignoring his furtive attempts to get rid of her. Ever since the embarrassing scene in the shuttle bay the lieutenant had been on the run. Working with Trip was an excellent excuse, allowing him at the same time to make sure that this time, Trip wasn't going to have any unpleasant encounters with the locals. But Alkira indeed seemed to be the paradise it looked like, without any secrets brewing under its surface.

-###-

It was the last day of their stay in Alkira's orbit. In a few hours they would be returning to Renelan to bring the governors and all the other guests back home, which also meant saying good-bye to Erianna, Jeren, Yanis and Malika.

Trip and Malcolm were sitting side by side in the warm sand, looking out on the green water. Alkira's two big oceans were surrounded by beautiful beaches that stretched far beyond the horizon.

"Well, I wouldn't have thought that I'd ever enjoy the sight of sand again." Malcolm smiled, slipping the white glimmering sand through his fingers.

"Me neither. Not after our last excursion." Trip had propped himself up on his elbows and watched Erianna and her boyfriend who were walking barefoot and hand in hand through the ankle-deep water. Behind them on the beach Yanis and Jeren were talking to Malika. Jeren's shoulder had completely healed by now, and Phlox had told them that Malika's slight limp would be gone within the next two days.

"Why don't you go for a swim," Trip suggested. "You don't have to babysit me."

Malcolm shook his head. "That's alright. I'm not so crazy about water. How about you? I could carry you in."

"Maybe next time." Trip smiled. "We'll be back in a few months. What d'you think about T'Pol's idea of launchin' a subspace amplifier between Alkira and Renelan to establish a permanent contact?"

"It's a great suggestion. The amplifier will help the planets to establish frequent communication. I'm just a little surprised that there were enough engineers willing to go to Renelan in order to modify their communication equipment. To be honest I didn't expect so much open-mindedness." Malcolm looked at Trip and smiled. "It's an advantage for us as well. Since we're going to launch more amplifiers on our way to stay in contact with Earth, we'll also be able to get transmissions from Jeren and Erianna. They'll surely want to keep in touch."

"And you can stay in contact with Farina." Trip grinned when Malcolm startled. "Tell me, Mal, I was told she was standin' in front of your door last night, is that true?"

Malcolm gritted his teeth. "Who said that?"

"Hey, c'mon, relax. Y'know, news like that travel at warp speed. Did you let her in?"

Malcolm blew out his cheeks in exasperation.

"Did you?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm responsible for the first diplomatic blunder in the relationship between Renelan and Earth."

"You sent her away? Why?"

"I told you over and over again that it's not my way to take advantage of young women. Farina is so... so..." Malcolm struggled for the right word. "So young and innocent. Not to say naive."

"Naive?" Trip raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure, Mal, perhaps her naivety is only a trick to get what she wants."

Malcolm grimaced. "If it's a trick she knows very well how to hide it. She seemed to be obsessed with the idea that I would marry her and join Tasur's guard."

Trip guffawed. "Sorry, Malcolm," he gasped, "but the idea is just too funny."

"I know." Malcolm grabbed a hand full of sand and threw it at Trip. "Stop that, will you?"

"Hey, that's unfair. Y'know I can't defend myself."

"I know." Malcolm grinned, then decided to change the subject. "Do you think Renelan will manage to prepare the departure of a few thousand people within four months?"

Trip sobered up again. "They don't have much time, but I think they'll manage. Jeren seemed sure there would be more than enough Renelan people who'd want to leave their planet."

"Considering their options, I would do the same."

"But the governor's have agreed never to take such drastic measures again only to keep their livin' standard."

"It's a good thing that they have other options now." Thoughtfully, Malcolm looked at Trip.

Questioningly, Trip raised his eyebrows. "What's the matter?"

Malcolm smiled, lost in thought. "Do you believe in fate, Trip?"

"Why?"

"You know, during the last weeks I often wondered why you had to go through all of this. Those aliens injecting you with the poison, the physical discomfort and pain, the paralysis, it all seemed so unfair to me; so senseless, in a way. But now it looks like you've saved the future of a whole planet."

"That wasn't my doin'."

"But you set the ball rolling. Without you, Erianna and Jeren would've never been able to bring about such a drastic change. Jeren would've never been able to prove his theory without you. It's only because of you that they're going to get a cure to heal all those people who are still suffering from CDS."

"You mean, it all makes sense now, in a way?"

"That doesn't make it any better, though. You had to go through so much, I still don't understand how you managed to keep your optimistic attitude all the time. But maybe it's comforting to know that at the end, something good came out of it, after all."

Trip slowly nodded, looking down at his legs. Malcolm was right; all he needed now was his own personal happy end. Suddenly he started slightly and began to grin. "Malcolm! Look!"

Questioningly, Malcolm looked at him.

"Not my face, Mal. There!" With his chin, Trip pointed to his bare feet.

Astonished, Malcolm looked at the waggling toes, a broad grin spreading on his face. "Hey Trip, that looks great. Guess we can try the parallel bars once again this evening."

"Okay, so you have an excuse to avoid Farina."

"Oh, cut it out."

"And after that we're gonna watch a film in my quarters and the poor girl will have to stand in front of your door the whole night."

"Trip!"

"And you're welcome to set up your cot again and stay over night."

"Commander Tucker!"

"Or you could ask Hoshi to have dinner with you in your quarters and to watch the film afterwards, so Farina finally realizes you're not interested in her."

Malcolm sighed in mock exasperation. "If you don't stop it right now, Commander, I'm going to hide your wheelchair."

"You'd only have to carry me again." Trip waggled his toes and realized that he was able to tense the muscles in his legs. He grinned. "Or I'm jus' gonna stay here until I'm able to walk again."

"I bet." Malcolm returned the grin and stood up to call their friends and show them Trip's progress.

-###-

It was hard to say good-bye. Malcolm had volunteered to fly the last shuttle, the one that would bring Erianna, Jeren, Yanis and Malika back down to Renelan. Erianna hugged Trip with all her might. "I'll miss you."

Trip wiped away a small tear that had fallen from her eye. "We'll come back soon. You'll have so much to do the next time, the four months will be over before you'll even get the chance to miss us."

Yanis laid a hand on his shoulder. "We can't thank you enough for your help."

"You have to thank the cap'n."

"We did. But without you all of this wouldn't be possible. You're Renelan's hero."

Trip ducked his head. "I don't think so."

Smiling, Malika pushed her son out of the way to hug Trip. "Thanks a lot, son."

"For what?" Trip asked astonished.

"For giving me new courage to live. Whatever they did to you, you never even thought of giving up. Not even when your condition was really bad. You put me to shame, Trip, by your undeterred will to live. And it's not least because of you that I'm able to walk properly again. You and Doctor Phlox, you gave me a new life."

Trip didn't know what to say, and simply gave the woman a big hug.

Jeren took Trip's hand, meeting his eyes.

"Thank you, Jeren, for all that you've done for me."

"Same here, Trip. When we meet again, you'll be able to walk. Promise?"

"Promise, Jeren."

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Jeren threw him a last glance before he entered the shuttle. Trip hurried to leave the shuttle bay. Looking out the window, he watched the shuttle plopping out of Enterprise and setting course to the planet below. "Be careful not to land in the desert, Malcolm," he muttered when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay, Trip?"

Trip turned his head. "Of course, Jon. Just a little sad, I suppose. It's like losing good friends."

"We'll meet them again soon. Why don't you join me in the messhall, I believe I was smelling freshly baked pecan pie."

"Sure." Trip threw a last glance out the window. The shuttle was only a very small spot in the distance. But in about four months, Enterprise would return. And then Trip Tucker would be able to meet his friends again with both his feet standing firmly on the ground.

-###-

TBC

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