“I know you’re given genetic tricks as payment,” Archer said, forgetting about the water. “What are they giving her?”
An alarm sounded.
“I don’t know who you are,” the Suliban said as he loaded the last of his clothing into the basket in a rush, “but you’re wrong about us.”
“Is that so?”
“We’re not genetically enhanced,” he said, “and we’re not members of the Cabal.”
Archer didn’t believe him. “If that’s true, then what are you doing here?”
“Didn’t Colonel Grat tell you?” the man asked with sarcasm as he tried to make his way out of the room. “We’re dangerous. All Suliban are dangerous.”
Archer hadn’t noticed that during their exchange all the other Suliban had left the area—not until Major Kiev entered the nearly deserted room. Kiev was not happy to find the Suliban, named Danik, out of his cell. Although Archer tried to accept the blame for delaying the Suliban father, the major refused to listen. He insisted that Danik spend a night in isolation. Danik surprised Archer by quickly [164] agreeing to the punishment, expressing concern only for his daughters well-being.
During their time at the detention center, Archer and Mayweather saw several examples of Suliban behavior that challenged their original misconceptions. These people did not seem to be involved in any Temporal Cold War. They were just living their lives confined within the walls of the complex. When Archer ran into Danik after the Suliban had been released from isolation, he asked him to explain their situation. At first Danik was reluctant to answer, but eventually he welcomed the two Enterprise officers into his cell for a conversation.
“We’re not criminals, Captain,” Danik explained. “And we’re not soldiers. The only thing we’re guilty of is being Suliban.”
Archer couldn’t understand why they were being held. “They must have tested your DNA and figured out that you haven’t been genetically altered.”
Danik nearly laughed at the absurd comment. “As far as they’re concerned that doesn’t mean anything.” His mood turned even more serious. “You believed I was a member of the Cabal, didn’t you?”
Archer was reluctant to admit the truth.
“Didn’t you?” Danik pressed.
“Yes, I did,” Archer said.
“All that seems to matter is the way we look,” he said.
Archer was stung by the comment that he could not argue.
“ ‘Be careful of their wicked smiles,’ ” Danik recited, [165] “ ‘their shining yellow eyes. At night they’ll squeeze right through your door and everybody dies.’ ” He turned back to the men. “Tandaran children used to tease my daughter with that nursery rhyme. At least here she doesn’t have to hear it anymore.” The bitterness in his voice betrayed the lighthearted comment.
“This is an internment camp,” Archer said, realizing the truth behind the detention center.
“Detention Complex Twenty-six,” Danik sarcastically corrected him. “I’ve heard it’s one of their nicer ones.”
“Why did this happen?”
“The Cabal began their attacks eight years ago,” Danik explained. “It wasn’t long before the Tandarans started to question the loyalty of all Suliban living in their territory. We were rounded up—’relocated’ as they like to say. They told us it would only be temporary. It was for our own safety. ‘Once the Cabal has been destroyed you’ll be free to go back to your home,’ ” he added in a mocking tone with his anger growing. “We’re still waiting.”
Danik took a moment to attempt to reign in his emotions, but failed. “There are eighty-nine people here,” he continued, “thousands more in the other camps. Every one of us used to be citizens of the worlds in the Tandar Sector. Did you know I was born in the same town as one of the guards? Major Kiev. I was friends with his brother while I was growing up.”
“What about the government on the Suliban home-world?” Mayweather chimed in with the question. “Don’t they have something to say about this?”
[166] “I’m sure they would if they existed,” Danik replied. “Our homeworld became uninhabitable three hundred years ago. Most Suliban are nomadic. But, some of us have assimilated into other cultures. My grandfather made the unfortunate decision to settle on Tandar Prime.”
Their conversation was interrupted when another Suliban, one named Sajen, entered the cell. This man was far less welcoming to the humans than Danik had been. He brought with him the regretful news that Danik’s wife had been denied yet another request to be transferred to their facility. The couple had been trying to get back together ever since they were separated during the relocation.
As the Enterprise officers continued to bond with the Suliban detainees, Archer was called to Colonel Grat’s office once again. After berating the captain for his altercation with Danik the previous night, the colonel moved on to the real reason he had called Archer to his office. Grat had learned from the Tandaran intelligence agency all about the Enterprise crew’s earlier dealings with the Suliban Cabal and he wanted to know more about it. He questioned the captain, but now Archer refused to answer anything. Their conversation quickly grew heated.
“What exactly do you want?” Archer asked, growing impatient with the line of questioning.
“Information,” Grat replied. “What do you know about the Cabal? What kind of genetic enhancements have you seen? Helix deployments? Who’s giving them their orders?”
[167] “You’ve got plenty of Suliban here,” Archer said, testing the colonel. “Why not ask them?”
Grat paused for a beat, realizing that Archer fully understood the situation. “We both know that they wouldn’t be very helpful.”
His suspicions had been confirmed. “Then why are they in prison?”
“That’s a discussion for another time,” Grat replied with a dismissive tone.
“There are families down there,” Archer noted with his temper rising. “One man hasn’t seen his wife in years.”
Grat ignored him. “Tell me what you know!”
“They don’t deserve this kind of treatment!”
“They’re here for their own protection,” Grat replied, his words smacking of political rhetoric.
“Oh, really?” Archer said, sarcastically.
The colonel took a moment to compose himself. “The last thing we wanted to do was build these detention centers,” he explained, trying to sound genuine. “But we had no choice. When the Cabal began their activities there was a great deal of fear among the Tandarans. There were incidents of violence.” His voice rose in passion. “Fourteen innocent Suliban were killed in one day alone. We had to find a way to keep them out of danger.”
“Why not just let them find another place to live?”
“They wouldn’t get very far,” Grat said with intensity. “It’s ironic, but once they were out of Tandaran territory, the Cabal would hunt them all down and turn them into soldiers. They’re better off here.”
[168] “I’ve met a few Suliban who would disagree,” Archer challenged his comment.
Grat steered the subject back to his inquisition, asking about the incident in which Silik had infiltrated Enterprise to stop the warp core breach. When Archer refused to answer, the colonel suggested that he could keep the Enterprise officers from making it to their transport to Tandar Prime and remaining a guest of the detention center for the foreseeable future. He gave Archer time to think about his decision.
In the days that followed, Grat again made contact with Enterprise, informing the crew that there was a delay in the proceedings, but failing to provide them with the actual reason. This time the crew was able to lock onto Grat’s signal and trace it back to the source. T’Pol had them set a course to rescue their crewmates.
In the meantime Archer grew closer with the Suliban detainees while learning the details of a past escape attempt that had gone awry. He noted that Enterprise should be coming after them soon and set to work on his own plans for escape.
Meanwh
ile Mayweather tried to befriend the angry Sajen.
“Writing a letter?” Mayweather asked as he sat beside Sajen on a bench in the common area.
The Suliban continued writing in his native language, barely glancing up at Mayweather. “It’s a journal,” he replied sharply.
“Could be valuable one day,” Mayweather commented, [169] undeterred by the attitude he was receiving. “People will want to know what happened here.”
“I doubt anyone will ever read this,” Sajen replied cynically.
“Then why are you writing it?”
“Why do you care?” Sajen shot back.
Mayweather was taken aback by the intensity of the response and chose not to answer him.
Sajen leaned forward, adopting a confrontational attitude. “I see how you look at us,” he spat. “You wouldn’t be surprised if I slithered up this wall or turned my face inside out.” His anger was overwhelming them both. “Cabal. Suliban. It’s all the same to you.”
“That’s not true,” Mayweather replied, wishing there was some way to convince the man.
Sajen replied with a skeptical glare before storming off.
Mayweather remained at the table. He was deeply troubled by the encounter.
That night as Mayweather slept, Enterprise arrived in orbit and the crew managed to beam down a communicator to the captain. Once in contact he refused their offer of rescue, informing T’Pol that he was going to help the Suliban escape. Though the Vulcan was skeptical of his plan to interfere with the alien culture, she agreed to help.
The next morning Archer shared the plan with Danik. The Suliban was similarly doubtful of their chances, but he agreed to do as the captain said. Sajen, however, balked [170] at the risk in trusting these humans whom they had just met. Danik ignored his friend and went about to convince the other detainees. But Grat had come across evidence of Archer’s communication with his ship. He called the captain to his office.
Archer refused to answer Grat’s questions, even when the colonel presented a beaten Mayweather to the captain. Grat had found the communicator on the ensign, but Mayweather had refused to reveal anything about the device. When Archer continued to remain silent, he was placed in isolation as punishment.
The Enterprise crew crafted an escape plan. Reed would accept the risk of beaming down to the planet in a Suliban disguise, Trip would cover the escape from above in a shuttlepod. As the plans progressed, Grat used the captured communicator to contact the ship, letting him know that he was on to them. T’Pol refused to be cowed and continued working on the escape.
Mayweather splashed water on his bruised face while waiting for some kind of signal from the ship. He hadn’t seen the captain since he was led away to isolation.
“What happened to you?” Sajen asked as he came up behind the beaten ensign.
“What do you care?” he threw the Suliban’s own words back at him with an edge.
Sajen decided to ignore the challenge. “Danik’s been looking for your captain. Have you seen him?”
“You might try isolation,” Mayweather replied, finally [171] turning to face the Suliban. “Still think we’re working for the Tandarans?”
Sajen answered by way of his silence.
Mayweather’s temper flared at the ungrateful alien. “You know, we could’ve left this place a long time ago if Captain Archer hadn’t decided to help you.”
“I never asked for your help.”
“Why? Because we’re not Suliban? Because we look a little too much like Tandarans?” Mayweather suspected that he had hit a nerve with that one. “I’ll admit, when I first came here it wasn’t easy to see past my preconceptions about the Suliban. But I did. Why can’t you?”
He stormed off without waiting for a response.
Once everything was in place, T’Pol managed to jam the Tandaran sensors and launch the rescue mission. Reed was beamed down in Suliban guise. With Danik’s help, the lieutenant freed the captain and set charges throughout the complex. As Enterprise fought off a Tandaran attack, Trip launched a shuttlepod and headed for the facility.
As the buildings of the detention complex came under fire from outside and within, Archer led the Suliban to the docking bay and their captured ships. Sajen had learned to trust the humans and risked his own life to save his friend Danik. The Enterprise crew watched from their shuttlepod as Suliban ships lifted off the planet heading for whatever new home they could find.
Mayweather considered all that they had witnessed in the past few days as the shuttlepod rose up to meet [172] Enterprise. The enemy that he had originally been prepared to hate without question had surprised him by not being an adversary at all. He suspected that it would make future dealings with the Suliban more difficult. It was easy to fight against an evil opponent, but he now knew there were several sides to this story and many facets to this alien race. He worried for his new friends as their ships moved off into the distance.
“Do you think they’ll make it, sir?” he quietly asked his captain.
“Do I think they’ll get out of Tandaran space safely?” Archer replied, thoughtfully. “Yes. Do I think they’ll be all right?”
The captain let the statement hang in the air, unanswered.
Chapter 17
Silik couldn’t help but appreciate the situation he had created. The Vulcan Sub-Commander was restrained in the same surgical chair he had sat in when given his genetic enhancing gifts. It was the same chair he had been in when some of those gifts were stripped away as well. But now, he was the one in power. Silik was going to get his answers no matter what he had to do to the Vulcan in the process.
He looked over at the surgeons who were monitoring the machine that was connected to the woman’s body. Several tubes were attached to her body administering a clear liquid into her bloodstream. The surgeons indicated that it was all right for Silik to proceed. The drugs were beginning to take effect.
“Where is Archer?” he asked, hovering over T’Pol.
“I don’t know.”
Silik didn’t like that answer. “Who are you working with from the future?”
[174] “The Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that time travel is impossible,” she stated concisely and honestly.
Silik wondered if she was playing games with him, but suspected it was not in the nature of her race to do so. He looked back to the surgeons who silently confirmed that the drugs should be working. “Does Captain Archer agree with that opinion?”
“It is not an opinion.”
Silik’s body tensed. Part of him was tempted to make her watch as he destroyed her ship, but he knew that would not give him the ultimate satisfaction he required. His benefactor wanted answers, not senseless destruction. Their plans were more calculated than that. Every move they made had a specific purpose. Even without contact from the future, Silik was determined to continue behaving in the manner he had been trained.
He continued the interrogation by carefully rephrasing the question. “Does Captain Archer agree with that determination.”
“Captain Archer believes that Crewman Daniels comes from the future.”
Silik latched onto the fact that she had referred to the time traveler in the present tense. “But Daniels is dead.”
“Captain Archer claims he saw Daniels two days ago.”
A smile crept over the Suliban’s face. “Your captain is gone,” he continued. “Did Daniels take him into the past or the future?”
[175] “The Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that time travel is impossible.” The smile slipped away.
Archer stumbled down the stairwell, holding fast to the railing. He was back in the building where he had first arrived in the thirty-first century. Daniels was busy working on his plan and had sent the captain in search of additional equipment. His current mission was to find some copper. It wasn’t quite as exciting as leading a starship into the unknown, but Archer already had enough excitement that morning to last several lifetimes.
The
copper hunt turned up nothing on the floor where Daniels had been working in what Archer assumed to be the man’s former apartment. Apparently advancements had been made in the field of construction in the time between Archer’s disappearance and humanity’s destruction. The copper that was often used in the piping and wiring of buildings in the twenty-second century had been replaced by some amalgam of metals that Daniels had explained was much easier to work with. It would be very hard to find a pure sample of copper in a residential area. One would think a search for copper would be easy enough in a building with its innards exposed, but Archer was beginning to realize that this particular search could take a while.
The typical conundrum of the inventor, Archer thought. We keep looking for new and different when old and ordinary worked just fine.
The door crashed back into the stairwell as Archer [176] stepped into the hallway of a lower floor in the building. He moved to the open apartment across from the stairwell and stepped inside. It looked like a family had once lived there. What appeared to be a child’s playpen had been shoved against a wall. A mobile hung from a bar stretched across the top. Little plastic dolphins and whales dangled on several wires. Archer gave it a little push and watched the sea mammals spin. He wondered if any animals had survived the future and naturally thought back to his own companion.
I wonder if I’ll ever see Porthos again. Or anyone I ever knew. What will happen to my crew if I never get home? Will Hoshi give up on space exploration for good? Does Trip really understand how important his friendship has been to me? What will happen to T’Pol when she goes back to Vulcan? Will she forget all that she’s learned about humanity?
Archer turned away from the playpen, briefly regretting the fact that he had not had time for children of his own. This was a thought he didn’t often allow himself to express. He had long since made peace with the fact that his career would not allow for long-lasting romantic entanglements. However, considering the situation he was in, he couldn’t help but think about it as he moved through the living area in search of copper.
STAR TREK: Enterprise - Shockwave Page 13
