A Fair Trade - Chapter 8

A Fair Trade

by kittytrypsin

Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer # 1: Paramount owns the characters from ‘Enterprise’, I’m just borrowing them. But if they don’t look after them…

Disclaimer # 2: No financial gain is being made from these stories, unfortunately.

******

CHAPTER EIGHT

The planet beneath them now had a name: Kendal Prime, found on the Vulcan astrochart. The rescue team comprised of T’Pol, Malcolm and three heavily armed security men.

Lieutenant Hess and her team had done a good job on Shuttlepod Two’s stabilisers, and although the storm continued to rage, their descent through it was turbulent but uneventful.

Malcolm landed the craft in a clearing, not far from the other heavily damaged pod. They took in its battered appearance with dismay, and approached cautiously. As they rounded towards the open hatch, they were startled to see a dazed and bloodied Ensign Barr sitting inside, clutching his head.

“Ensign, can you tell us where Commander Tucker is?” T’Pol asked, not unkindly, as she could clearly see that he was injured and concussed.

He looked at her with eyes that were struggling to focus, but no words came. T’Pol rationalised that the ensign had probably been unconscious for some time, and would be unable to assist them in their search.

They entered the ‘pod, hoping to find clues. Malcolm moved to the pilot’s seat and made to sit down. He recoiled when he saw the bloodstained jagged metal sticking out from the helm.

“I would guess, from the amount of blood on the seat and floor, that Commander Tucker was cut very badly by this…whatever it is.” Malcolm couldn’t quite figure what part of the console the metal belonged to, but it was hardly of any importance right now.

T’Pol scanned the blood and confirmed Malcolm’s fears.

“It is indeed the commander’s blood, and there would appear to be a great deal of it. We should attempt to find him as soon as possible, before his blood loss becomes life-threatening.”

Malcolm couldn’t agree more, but didn’t even know where to begin looking. “Are you picking up his biosigns?”

“Yes, they are faint, but present. However, more strongly and of more practical use, is the DNA spread out before us. Commander Tucker has left us a trail of blood to follow, and it would seem churlish to refuse such a dramatic gesture.”

They left a crewman behind with the injured ensign and set off into the thick vegetation. The going was difficult as the driving rain managed to penetrate the canopy of the trees, making every footstep treacherous with so many leaves about. Their uniforms clung limply to their bodies, and they wiped at their eyes in an attempt to improve visibility. They had to rely on the ship’s powerful torches for light, as darkness had descended.

T’Pol constantly assessed their progress by consulting the luminescent digital reading on the scanner in her hand. From time to time she would adjust their heading, and in spite of the conditions they were struggling through, but probably because those they were pursuing were slower, they were making good progress. After about thirty minutes, T’Pol called them to a halt. Malcolm looked at her, questioningly.

“They stopped here for a short time, judging by the amount of the commander’s blood. My readings indicate that it was quite recently, too.”

Malcolm flashed his torch around in a 360° arc, half-expecting to see Goff or one of his cronies behind every tree. What he saw, instead, was a bloody handprint glistening from the bole of the tree behind him. The blood was still wet, but as the tree was moist from the rain, it wasn’t an accurate time interval indicator.

“How close do you think we are to them, Sub-Commander?”

“Commander Tucker’s biosigns are getting stronger, but I am also picking up a great many life signs, now. I believe we are approaching a town. If we do not reach the commander before then, our rescue will be all the more difficult.”

^*^*^*^*^*^

“You say his species is Human? I’ve never heard of them, and he is badly injured. Of what tradeable value would he be in his present state? You ask too much, my friend.”

Exer, a native of the planet, looked at the barely conscious figure lying on the floor. He knelt down to examine the man more closely, noting that humans weren’t all that different to Kendals in appearance. Had the man been in better condition, he would have been worth quite a bit. Through the bruises he appeared to be handsome, and there were many sects that would barter for a good-looking male slave.

Goff spoke again, encouragingly. “Get your women to clean him up and make him more presentable before you reject him completely. Remember, he’s an engineer from a warp-capable space ship. He’d have valuable information you could get from him, not to mention the technology you’ll be able to harvest from the crashed shuttlepod. And some time soon, his ship will be here looking for him, so you’ll be able to trade him back for even more data. All things considered, I don’t think I’m asking too much at all, I think you’ve got a real bargain here. Come on, Exer, it’s not like you to pass up on a good deal.”

Exer listened to all that Goff was saying, the trader in him acknowledging that this human, even in his present state, was a pawn that he could richly exploit. He clicked his fingers and indicated to the two men awaiting his orders to take the human away. With little effort they lifted him by his arms, his head lolling forwards as they moved out of the room. Goff breathed again, and placed his arm around Exer’s shoulder.

“I know you’ll thank me for this, my friend. Now, let’s go and discuss where I’m going to live out the rest of my days.”

TBC

Continue to Chapter 9

Return to Chapter 7

Back to Fan Fiction Main Menu

Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS!