The Expanse - J.M. Dillard [9]
The question was, was now one of those times?
On the bridge, T’Pol had assumed command.
It was fortunate that Trip Tucker had not; he was prepared to open fire on the Suliban vessel, and said as much. Clearly, his concern for his sister was seriously affecting his judgment.
T’Pol, however, remained calm. The instant it was ascertained that Captain Archer was not aboard the Enterprise, she had ordered Hoshi to hail the Suliban ship.
The hail was ignored, of course; but T’Pol insisted Hoshi keep trying. In the meantime, she considered possible alternatives. Most likely, Captain Archer was aboard one of the Suliban vessels; attacking them would only endanger him, and was therefore the least desirable course of action.
T’Pol did not have much time to contemplate her next action. Within two minutes, Hoshi’s console beeped; she responded, and turned eagerly to face T’Pol.
“It’s Captain Archer.”
T’Pol gave a single, curt nod.
Hoshi understood the silent command and opened a com channel at once.
“Captain?” T’Pol said, into her companel.
“Hold your position,” Archer said. “I don’t think we’re going to have a problem.”
Were T’Pol human, the Captain’s words would have surprised her. The Suliban and problems normally went hand-in-hand. However, the Captain’s voice betrayed no sign of coercion or duress. T’Pol decided to obey the order.
Trip Tucker, however, could not contain his worry. “Sir?” he asked, half disbelieving.
Archer’s tone was reassuring. “It’s okay, Trip. Just be patient.”
T’Pol was prepared to be as patient as she needed to be; she could not, however, say the same for Commander Tucker.
* * *
Silik led Archer to a different chamber, one where he saw a figure he recognized: the dark silhouette of a humanoid—perhaps Suliban, perhaps human or Vulcan, perhaps even Klingon; it was impossible to tell. The silhouette was enveloped by a column of fast-rippling blue light that made Archer dizzy when he stared at it too long.
Archer stopped a distance away.
Silik prodded him. “He can see you more clearly if you move closer.”
The Captain refused to budge. “Who is he?”
Rather than reply, Silik said, “He wants to talk to you. It would be foolish to ignore him.”
Archer paused. He had played the fool before with Silik, let himself be manipulated, and he did not want to allow that to happen again. Yet the prospect of solving the mystery of what had happened on Earth was too important to ignore. He stepped forward and asked the figure, “What do you want?”
“Your planet was attacked,” the humanoid said. His voice was definitely male though higher-pitched, more inflected with emotion, more concerned than Silik’s detached bass.
“I’m aware of that,” Archer replied.
“What you’re not aware of is why.” The shimmering figure paused. “The probe was sent by the Xindi. They learned that their world will be destroyed by humans in four hundred years.”
“How would they know what’s going to happen in four hundred years?” Archer demanded. It was the meddling of characters like Silik and his soldiers—and this mysterious silhouette in his temporal chamber—that caused such problems.
“They were told by people from the future,” the figure said evasively. “People who can communicate through time.”
“Are they the ones the Suliban are working for?”
“The Suliban work for me,” the figure stated flatly.
“So you’re the one who tried to start a civil war in the Klingon Empire,” Archer said, his anger once again rising. “The one who’s manipulated my mission from day one ...”
The humanoid refused to be distracted from the subject at hand. “The people who have contacted the Xindi belong to another faction.” He paused to give his next words greater emphasis. “The probe was only a test. The Xindi are building a far more powerful weapon. When it’s completed,