Surak's Soul - J.M. Dillard [25]
“Nothing? Come on, Doctor. This entity is some sort of radiation specialist—and even us humans have learned how to deal with other types of radiation sickness. Surely it has some advice on this rare type.”
“I’m afraid not, Captain. It says that it understands radiation perfectly well, but doesn’t understand why humanoid bodies react as they do to it. It’s coming from an entirely different perspective….”
“Well, it’s going to have to learn some new perspectives,” Archer said, “if it wants that ‘cultural exchange.’ Archer out.” He punched the control on his companel, then stared forward at the viewscreen, where the blue-green island world rotated lazily on its axis. “Ensign Mayweather. Plot a course out of here.”
The ensign’s young features reflected the concern on the captain’s own. “Direction, sir?”
“Surprise me,” Archer said flatly, then pounded the underside of his fist on the companel again. “Commander Tucker.”
“Yes, sir.” Trip’s voice filtered up from engineering. Normally, he would have responded far more casually, or put a humorous emphasis on the sir, but he clearly sensed from Archer’s tone that this was all business.
“I need warp four, Trip. We’ve got to get out of here as fast as possible.”
Trip didn’t even pause. “You’ve got it coming, Captain. I’ll signal you back when she’s ready.”
Archer flipped a different toggle for ship-wide communication. “All hands…prepare for warp speed.” He paused, then said reluctantly, “We are leaving this area of space because we were apparently exposed to a rare form of radiation. Once we know more about it, Doctor Phlox will inform you as to what steps to take. Archer out.”
He braced himself, feeling the deck beneath his feet vibrate as the warp engines powered up. And as the planet Oan disappeared from the viewscreen, replaced by streaming stars, Archer got the unpleasant premonition that the Enterprise crew was fleeing something that already held them firmly in its grasp.
The lighting aboard Enterprise was muted in deference to Earth’s night—as it was in sickbay, where T’Pol watched as a weary-looking Phlox spoke into the companel. Wanderer hovered between them, its radiant field not quite grazing the deck.
“Now that we’ve established some distance between ourselves and the planet,” Phlox said into the bulkhead companel, “I’ll be retiring to my quarters if you have no further need of me. I must admit that I’m feeling surprisingly tired. I suspect that the interruption of my annual hibernation cycle must have affected me more than I realize.”
Archer’s voice filtered back through. “Of course, Doctor. You’ve earned your rest.”
Indeed, T’Pol thought. Phlox had just finished two consecutive shifts of duty, something that was difficult for most humans. Apparently, it was difficult for Phlox as well; shadows had appeared beneath the doctor’s deep-set eyes, and his facial skin appeared a shade paler than normal.
“Ensign Cutler has promised to notify me if anything out of the ordinary—” Phlox began, but Archer interrupted him.
“You’ve done all you can do. You know we’ll call you if we need you. Now, go to bed, Doctor.”
“With pleasure, Captain.” The Denobulan turned his broad, stocky body toward T’Pol and Wanderer, and gave a small nod to both of them—a very human gesture, the Vulcan noted. It had taken her years to master the finer subtleties of Terran nonverbal communication, but Phlox was already a master of it. “Good night, Sub-Commander…Wanderer.”
“Good night, Doctor,” T’Pol said, following the prescribed protocol. Phlox, too, was prey to emotion, just as humans were, though he possessed a Vulcan-keen penchant for observation and investigation. T’Pol heard the heaviness in his tone—one that matched the captain’s. She postulated that the cause for their ill-hidden despair was their fear that the crew had in fact been fatally exposed to the rare radiation.
T’Pol could not understand such dread. Some emotions were vaguely understandable, but worry always left her perplexed. Either they were all going to die or they were not, and since there was nothing any of them