[Archer's
quarters]
(Archer is taking a shower when there's a noise.
His feet gently lift off the floor and the water floats out in all
directions.)
ARCHER: Archer to the Bridge.
REED [OC]: Lieutenant Reed, sir.
ARCHER: What the hell's going on?
[Bridge]
REED: We are having a little trouble with the
gravity plating on E deck. I hope it hasn't caused you
[Archer's quarters]
REED [OC]: Any inconvenience. (Archer is hanging onto the showerhead.)
ARCHER: Oh, no, no, no, not at all. Any
idea when you might get it back online?
[Bridge]
REED: Commander Tucker says it should be any
minute now, sir.
[Archer's quarters]
(Man and water come crashing to the floor.)
ARCHER: Thank you.
[Mess hall]
(T'Pol helps herself to a bowl of liquid from the
buffet table.)
PHLOX: Not a very adventurous breakfast.
T'POL: Plomeek broth is a traditional morning meal on Vulcan.
PHLOX: Ah, but you're not on Vulcan. You should try these blueberry
pancakes. They're quite delicious.
T'POL: I sampled human food on several occasions. It didn't agree with
me.
PHLOX: Give it some time. The Vulcan digestive tract is highly
adaptable.
T'POL: I prefer to eat the foods I'm accustomed to.
PHLOX: There's an old saying. When in Fellebis, do as the Fellebians
do.
T'POL: It's difficult enough having to smell all this. Eating it is out
of the question. (She goes to the drinks dispenser.) T'POL: Water, carbonated.
PHLOX: Now that's adventurous. (But it comes out as thick black gloop.)
[Engineering]
DILLARD?: We're getting reports from C deck that
it's down to twelve degrees. Ensign Almack is working on it.
TUCKER: Well, tell him to hurry up. If the relays up there get too
cold, they're going to start cutting out on us. (comm. chirp)
Engineering.
CREWMAN [OC]: We've got a power fluctuation in the starboard nacelle,
sir.
TUCKER: We'll get to it as soon as we can.
CREWMAN [OC]: Aye. sir.
ARCHER: Any luck?
TUCKER: We know it's got something to do with the plasma exhaust. The
flow's been restricted for some reason and it's screwing up half the
systems on the ship. (to Dillard) Tell Billy to purge the aft manifold.
DILLARD: Sir.
ARCHER: You think it might be a good idea to drop out of warp?
TUCKER: Give me a minute, sir. I think we can figure it out. (There is and explosion
next to Archer. He grabs an extinguisher and helps put the fire out.) TUCKER: Tucker to Bridge. Might be a good idea to drop out of warp.
[Bridge]
TRAVIS: Going to impulse, sir.
T'POL: Commander, I think I've found the problem.
[Bridge, rear]
T'POL: Something's distorting our wake pattern.
TUCKER: You're right. The plasma exhaust shouldn't be flaring that
close to the ship.
REED: EM residue in the exhaust ports?
TUCKER: No, we checked. They're clean.
ARCHER: Malcolm, if we ignited the plasma exhaust, what kind of damage
would it do to the nacelles?
REED: Sir?
ARCHER: How much damage?
REED: If we polarize the hull plating, it should be all right as long
as we maintained at least half impulse.
ARCHER: Go to half impulse, Ensign.
(All move to the front of the bridge.)
TRAVIS: Aye, sir.
ARCHER: (to Hoshi) Put up A4. (A view from the aft of the saucer section on the viewscreen.)
ARCHER: Record all aft sensors.
T'POL: Hull plating.
REED: Both nacelles are at maximum.
T'POL: Stand by to ignite a charge at eighty metres due aft.
ARCHER: Fire. Play it back, slowly. Go back and freeze it at the
flashpoint. Creep it forward a little. There. (A ship is silhouetted
against the bright light.)
TUCKER: Looks like we've got ourselves a hitchhiker.
T'POL: They must be using some sort of stealth technology.
HOSHI: I wonder how long they've been there.
ARCHER: Long enough to throw half our systems out of whack. I'm sure
they know we've detected them. Open hailing frequencies.
HOSHI: Our ship-to-ship sensors are malfunctioning. I can only give you
audio. Translator's active.
ARCHER: This is Captain Jonathan Archer of the Starship Enterprise. I
don't need to tell you where we are. Your presence is disrupting a
number of our systems. Please back away to a distance of at least ten
kilometres and respond.
TRENA'L [OC]: (unknown language) harm us. (unknown) your request. We
ask you not to harm us. We are complying with your request. We ask you
not to harm us.
REED: They're moving off, sir.
ARCHER: We have no intention of harming you, but I wouldn't mind an
explanation.
TRENA'L [OC]: I apologise for any damage we've caused. Our engines are
malfunctioning and we've been using your plasma exhaust to replenish
our teraphasic coils. It's allowed us to share your warp field.
T'POL: Their warp reactor is offline.
ARCHER: We can't help you unless we can see you, so why don't you
disconnect whatever stealth device you're using. (The ship appears aft
of Enterprise.)
[Sickbay]
PHLOX: I'm giving you forty milligrams of
mirazine. (injects Tucker) It should shorted the decompression process
by half.
TUCKER: That still leaves three hours. Can you recommend a good book?
T'POL: I'll be briefing you on their propulsion systems.
TUCKER: Sure you don't want me coming back at night?
ARCHER: Three hours of decompression in each direction, makes more
sense to stay until the job's done.
PHLOX: I've sent them your dietary requirements.
T'POL: They claim to have the ability to synthesize protein and
carbohydrates, but there's no telling what it may taste like. Try to be
diplomatic.
TUCKER: Three days on an alien ship. (Phlox gives another injection)
ARCHER: Remember to mind your manners.
[Shuttlepod]
(It docks with ship.)
TRAVIS: We've got a seal.
TUCKER: (packing case) Just about ready.
TRAVIS: It's too bad the ship-to-ship sensors are down. Would have been
nice to get a look at them.
TUCKER: I'll just think of it as a blind date. Tucker to Enterprise.
ARCHER [OC]: Archer.
TUCKER: Here I go, sir.
ARCHER [OC]: Keep your comm. channel open. We'll be right here.
TRAVIS: (handing up case as Tucker climbs into the tube between the
airlocks) Here you go.
TUCKER: Don't forget to come back for me.
TRAVIS: I don't know. We are kind of busy. Have fun.
(The shuttlepod undocks, leaving the slightly organic looking ship.)
[Decompression chamber]
TUCKER: Hello? (Gas pours in.) TUCKER: Hello?
AH'LEN [OC]: Try to maintain your normal rate of respiration.
TUCKER: (coughing) This stuff's burning my lungs.
AH'LEN [OC]: Maintain your normal rate of respiration. The discomfort
will subside.
[Ready room]
T'POL [OC]: Commander Tucker's calling again, sir.
He's rather anxious.
ARCHER: Put him through.
TUCKER [OC]: How long's it been, sir?
ARCHER: About five minutes longer than the last time you asked.
[Decompression chamber]
ARCHER [OC]: How's the breathing?
TUCKER: A lot easier, but I prefer air I can't see.
[Ready room]
ARCHER: They told us the air would clear up during
the last half hour of decompression.
[Decompression chamber]
TUCKER: I feel like I've been in here for a week.
ARCHER [OC]: You've only got forty five minutes to go, Trip.
[Ready room]
ARCHER: Be patient. (To Porthos, who sits up and
begs.) ARCHER: Hey. Good boy. There you go. (Archer puts down Porthos' food bowl.)
[Decompression chamber]
(Tucker is calling flashing lights off a display.) TUCKER:
Blue one. Green three. Yellow two. Orange five. Yellow three. Red four.
Green two. Whoa, whoa, that's too fast. I'm not a computer.
(The door behind him opens and he steps out into.)
[Xyrillian ship]
(Xyrillians are reptile-like, scaly, wearing shiny
one-piece suits.)
TRENA'L: I hope the acclamation process wasn't too stressful.
TUCKER: Blue three, yellow six, orange four. (He's slightly woosy and
the sound is slightly slow.)
TRENA'L: The perceptual tests are the best way to determine whether
you're ready for our environment.
AH'LEN: We've prepared a meal for you.
TUCKER: Not right now, thank you.
TRENA'L: We strongly recommend that you get some rest.
TUCKER: I think I'd like to take a look at that engine room of yours.
AH'LEN: It's one deck above us. (She leads the way past windows showing
eels swimming.)
[Xyrillian Engineering]
(They are lying underneath lots of coils and
tubing with changing light colours.)
AH'LEN: These are the teraphasic coils. The wider ones have lost their
cohesion.
TUCKER: I'm sorry, you lost me. I'm having trouble concentrating with
all this noise and light.
AH'LEN: Are you certain you don't want to rest for a while?
TUCKER: I don't know what I'm certain about.
[Archer's quarters]
T'POL [OC]: Mister Tucker again, sir.
ARCHER: Put him through. Yeah, Trip. How's it going?
TUCKER [OC]: Not good. I don't think I'm going to be much help over
here. I'm having a little more trouble adjusting than I thought I
would.
ARCHER: What's the problem?
[Xyrillian Engineering]
TUCKER: I feel like I've got a fever. I'm having
trouble focusing, breathing. I really think I need to get back,
Captain.
[Archer's quarters]
ARCHER: Stand by for a minute. T'Pol, put me
through to Trena'l.
T'POL [OC]: Stand by.
TRENA'L [OC]: Captain Archer?
ARCHER: My man's not doing so well over there.
TRENA'L [OC]: He'll be fine.
ARCHER: With all due respect, I've known Commander Tucker for eight
years. He's tough as nails. If he says he's having problems, I've got to
believe him.
TRENA'L [OC]: When he came out of decompression he refused to rest. I
strongly suggest he'd lie down for a while.
ARCHER: You really think that'll make a difference?
TRENA'L [OC]: We have a good deal of experience with alien visitors.
[Xyrillian Engineering]
ARCHER [OC]: I told Trena'l you'd try to get at
least an hour of shut-eye. He says that should do the trick.
TUCKER: I just want out, sir. I'm not kidding. I can't take much more
of this.
ARCHER [OC]: Trena'l says they've dealt with this before. Just one
hour. If you're not feeling better, we'll bring you back.
TUCKER: It's not going to work, Captain.
[Archer's quarters]
ARCHER: Take a nap, Trip. That's an order.
[Xyrillian Engineering]
ARCHER [OC]: Archer out.
AH'LEN: We've prepared sleeping quarters for you. It's not far.
[Trip's temporary quarters]
(The 'bed' is a curve cut out of a red block -
think solid hammock. The walls have moss and there is a sound of
waves. The sound and light distortions of the previous scenes are gone.)
AH'LEN: Your Captain sent the recording . He thought it might help you
relax. Are you feeling better?
TUCKER: What's that?
AH'LEN: Our food. It grows all over the ship. Would you like some? It's
very sweet.
TUCKER: I think I'll pass.
AH'LEN: This is the closest we could come to water. (She picks up a large
bowl of what looks like ice cubes and goes to put one in his mouth.)
AH'LEN: Trust me. (When her fingers touch his lips there's a sort of electric
frizz.) AH'LEN: Did that hurt?
TUCKER: Not really. (she does it again) It's kind of nice. Does that
happen when you people touch each other?
AH'LEN: Something similar. Have you had enough?
TUCKER: A man needs a lot of fluids when he's under the weather. (She
continues to feed him water, slowly, letting her fingers linger on his
lips. She finally breaks eye contact.)
AH'LEN: If you're feeling well enough,
we really should get back to the repairs.
TUCKER: Could we take some of those with us?
[Bridge]
T'POL: Are the injector cells aligned with the
primary coil?
TUCKER [OC]: Aligned and locked. You're not going to believe this.
They've got grass growing on the floor. Real grass. It's even green. Is
Vulcan grass green?
T'POL: Have you tested the ion matrix, Commander?
TUCKER [OC]: The grass releases some kind of vapour, helps them
metabolize their food. Smells just like a freshly mowed lawn.
T'POL: The ion matrix, Commander.
[Alien Engineering]
TUCKER: Oh, right. I've recharged the assembly. Is
it up to point four yet?
ALIEN: Point four three.
TUCKER: Keep pumping up the gradient. If we can get it up to point five
the coils should come back online
[Bridge]
TUCKER [OC]: All by themselves.
ARCHER: Sounds like Trip's feeling better.
TRAVIS: Before you know it, he'll have that engine room running like a
well-oiled machine.
TUCKER [OC]: Tucker to Captain Archer.
ARCHER: Go ahead, Trip.
[Xyrillian Engineering]
TUCKER: We're nearly ready to bring the warp
reactor online. Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours.
ARCHER [OC]: Just think, yesterday you would have done anything to get
out of there.
TUCKER: Tucker out.
AH'LEN: It will take a while for the coils to regenerate. Come with me.
There's something I want you to see.
[Xyrillian Holodeck]
(The walls are speckled with the colours of the
rainbow. Ah'len takes a control from a panel.)
AH'LEN: Watch this. (She presses a couple of buttons and the room changes
to an alien planet landscape - it's a holodeck!) AH'LEN: That's Thera. It's
where I come from.
TUCKER: The depth perception is incredible. What is it, a 3-D simulator
of some kind?
AH'LEN: It's holographic.
TUCKER: Not like any hologram I've ever seen. (Ah'Len pours sand into his hand.)
AH'LEN: It seems real, doesn't it.
TUCKER: How do you?
AH'LEN: Resequenced photons. Come with me. (They walk)
TUCKER: The perspective's changing.
AH'LEN: We could walk all the way to the city and you'd never know
we're still in this room.
(She changes it to a seascape, with them standing in a small boat.) AH'LEN: Sit
down.
TUCKER: We're still in the same room and this isn't a boat.
AH'LEN: It's a boat. It's just resequenced
TUCKER: Resequenced photons.
AH'LEN: Exactly.
TUCKER: If we had one of these on Enterprise, I'd never ask for shore
leave.
AH'LEN: you don't have any dermal plating. How do you detect other
people's moods?
TUCKER: We don't. Well, actually we do, but we do it through observing
behaviour, getting to know someone.
AH'LEN: The follicles on your face. If I'm not mistaken, they've grown.
Do they have a purpose? (Tucker rubs his chin.)
TUCKER: Not that I know of. Normally we shave them off
with something called a razor, but I haven't had the chance since I've
been here.
AH'LEN: Do you mind?
TUCKER: Go ahead. (She strokes his cheek and that electric thing
happens again.) AH'LEN: Does that hurt?
TUCKER: (grinning) Not in the least. (She uses the holodeck control to
call up a square urn with clear granules in it.) TUCKER: More water?
AH'LEN: No, this is a game we play. Watch. (She puts her hand into it
and it glows slightly.) AH'LEN: Go ahead.
TUCKER: Are there any rules to this game? (His hand is glowing too.)
AH'LEN: It takes four hands to work. (The glow spreads up their arms.) AH'LEN: Your favourite food is catfish.
TUCKER: How the hell did you know that?
AH'LEN: What's mine.
TUCKER: Your what, favourite food?
AH'LEN: Yes. Concentrate. What's my favourite food.
TUCKER: Dutara root. How'd I know that?
AH'LEN: I wasn't certain the granules would work with your species.
Captain Archer saved your life once, about four years ago.
TUCKER: This is one hell of a game. You find me attractive.
AH'LEN: You like having people find you attractive, don't you?
TUCKER: Sometimes.
ALIEN [OC]: Reactor room to Ah'len. The coils are coming back online.
AH'LEN: Understood. You'd better stand up. (She turns off the holodeck.)
[Shuttlepod]
TRAVIS: Decompression any easier coming back?
TUCKER: Three hours is three hours. You can't imagine what it was like
over there, Travis. Food growing on the walls, teraphasic warp coils,
boxes full of pebbles that make you telepathic.
TRAVIS: What were the Xyrillians like?
TUCKER: A little shorter than us, weird scales on their faces, but
otherwise pretty much like you and me. It sure was something. Reminded
me why I signed on. But it is good to be home.
[Bridge]
TRENA'L [on viewscreen]: I hope your mission
hasn't been overly delayed.
ARCHER: Getting a chance to meet other species is our mission.
TUCKER: I see you've got the visual back online.
ARCHER: Hoshi. Trena'l wanted to thank you again.
TRENA'L: [on viewscreen]: I realise how difficult it must have been,
adapting to our environment.
TUCKER: It was worth every minute. As long as those coils stay charged,
you shouldn't have a problem maintaining a stable warp field. (to
Ah'len) Thanks for taking care of me when I wasn't feeling so hot.
AH'LEN [on viewscreen]: It was worth every minute. Good luck to you. (Their ship warps away.)
ARCHER: Nice work, Commander.
TUCKER: I appreciate the opportunity, Commander.
T'POL: I for one won't miss the malfunctions their proximity was
causing.
ARCHER: Return to our previous heading, Travis.
TRAVIS: Aye, sir.
[Mess hall]
REED: Didn't they feed you over there? (Tucker is eating like he's starving.)
TUCKER: You should've come with me,
Malcolm.
REED: I heard about the holographic recreation.
TUCKER: It wasn't like any visual simulator I've ever tried. It was
more like actually being there. You could smell the ocean, feel the
salt air on your skin.
REED: If we had one of those on board, I can only imagine what it would
be used for.
TUCKER: I don't know if they can recreate people with it, but it sure
did a hell of a job on landscapes.
REED: Make any friends?
TUCKER: Ah'len, one of their engineers. She's the one who showed me the
holographic chamber.
REED: Is she the one you thanked for taking care of you?
TUCKER: Yeah.
REED: Interesting scales.
TUCKER: She did have a certain sensuality to her.
REED: So, did you get a look at their weapons?
TUCKER: I don't even know if they had any. Have you tried these
scrambled eggs? Tastes just like the real thing today. (He notices strange
red mark on his wrist.)
REED: Maybe you were allergic to something over there.
TUCKER: Well, I cleared bioscan.
REED: Nevertheless, you'd better have Doctor Phlox take a look at it.
[Sickbay]
TUCKER: As far as I know, I've never been allergic
to anything.
PHLOX: I don't believe you're having an allergic reaction. Tell me, did
your visit to the Xyrillian ship involve any romance?
TUCKER: What?
PHLOX: Were you intimate with anyone?
TUCKER: Doc, I was over there to repair a warp reactor. What are you
talking about?
PHLOX: It seems you did a little more than repair work. (Phlox holds the scanner
up to Trip's chest.)
TUCKER: Meaning?
PHLOX: This is a nipple. (The mark on Trip's wrist.)
TUCKER: I beg your pardon?
PHLOX: Ah, the blastocyst is located between the sixth and seventh
intercostals.
TUCKER: What the hell are you talking about?
PHLOX: I'm not quite sure if congratulations are in order, Commander,
but you're pregnant. (Later, as Tucker is wheeled out of the body
scanner.)
PHLOX: Here, do you see that cell cluster? That
is the embryo. I assume you'll be happy to know that it's
not technically your child.
TUCKER: What do you mean?
PHLOX: When reproducing, the Xyrillians only utilize the genetic
material of the mother. The males simply serve as hosts.
TUCKER: That's comforting, but how the hell did I get knocked up?
PHLOX: We don't have any data on their mating procedures, but I
wouldn't think it would be that difficult for you to recollect a sexual
encounter.
T'POL: Three days. You were only there for three days and you couldn't
restrain yourself.
TUCKER: I'm telling you, Captain, I was a complete gentleman the entire
time.
T'POL: I imagine that's a question of how you would define gentleman.
TUCKER: The only female I had any contact with was Ah'len, their
engineer. Other than repairing the reactor, all she and I did together
was go into that holographic chamber they've got. She showed me some
home movies, simulations of their planet, but I didn't lay a hand on
her. There's got to be some way to get this thing out of me without
hurting it. Can't you create a surrogate chamber or something?
PHLOX: The embryo has integrated with your pericardium. I wouldn't be
comfortable extracting it without more information on the gestation
process.
T'POL: This engineer wanted you to see her planet?
TUCKER: So?
T'POL: Perhaps the next step would have been to meet her holographic
parents. If I'm not mistaken, on some planets that's a precursor to
marriage.
TUCKER: We took a ride in a row boat. I swear, Captain, nothing
happened.
PHLOX: There had to be a somewhat lengthy physical contact to transfer
this much genetic material.
ARCHER: Trip.
TUCKER: I've been in Starfleet for twelve years. Do you think I'd
jeopardise my career by messing around with some alien engineer on a
three day mission? I considered myself a diplomat from the minute I set
foot in that vessel. Well, there was that box of pebbles.
ARCHER: Pebbles?
TUCKER: Yeah, she had it on the boat. But it was no bid deal. We just
stuck our hands into these granules for a few minutes. It's a game they
play, let's you read each other's minds. They weren't even real, they
were holographic just like everything else in the room.
ARCHER: Doctor?
PHLOX: Without a sample of these telepathic granules it would be
impossible to make a determination, but they could have served as the
transferral medium.
T'POL: One of the first things a diplomat learns is not to stick his
fingers where they don't belong.
TUCKER: Captain?
ARCHER: If we're going to safely remove this life form from Commander
Tucker, we'll have to find the Xyrillians. (to T'Pol) Why don't you and
Malcolm see what you can do about locating their ship.
T'POL: Yes, sir.
ARCHER: Is Trip well enough to return to his duties?
TUCKER: What, are you kidding? I'm fine.
PHLOX: You'll probably feel a bit nauseated in the mornings, so get
sufficient rest and exercise and see me at least once a day. That
nipple may not be the only surprise your body has in store for you.
TUCKER: You think we could keep this between the four of us, at least
for the time being?
ARCHER: You got it.
[Engineering]
TUCKER: Dillard.
DILLARD: Sir?
TUCKER: Look at this lift.
DILLARD: Sir?
TUCKER: It's an accident waiting to happen. This safety bar's a metre
off the floor. What use would it be for a small person?
DILLARD: A small person?
TUCKER: A short alien, a child. This thing's a deathtrap. (He lifts the
two rails and steps onto the platform.) TUCKER: Look at this handrail. Put your
hands here while this is going up or down, it'll take your fingers
right off.
DILLARD: Why would someone put their hands there, sir?
TUCKER: Never mind.
[deleted scene - Bridge, rear]
TUCKER: Are you certain you made the
correct sensor modifications?
REED: Yes, absolutely certain. Their last trajectory?
T'POL: We've altered our course to match.
TUCKER: How do we know they haven't changed their heading?
T'POL: We don't, but we've compensated to detect their stealth
telemetry. We should be able to locate them.
REED: It may take a while. Why exactly are we trying to find that ship?
T'POL: Yes. I thought you provided all the services they required.
TUCKER: If you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling very well.
T'POL: Perhaps a little lunch might help. I hear Chef has prepared
Rigelian sausage. (Tucker groans) Being vegetarian I can't speak from
experience, but I'm told it's quite succulent.
TUCKER: I think I'm just going to go lie down for a while.
REED: Commander, if we tune the UV sensors to the omicron band, we
should be able to isolate their plasma trail a good deal faster. Do you
think you could spare a minute just to help me recalibrate them?
TUCKER: I'm afraid this isn't a very good time. (makes a dash for
another door, hand over mouth, noises of being sick out of camera shot)
Captain's starlog, supplemental. We've spent eight
days looking for the Xyrillian ship, but so far we've had no luck.
[Captain's mess]
(Tucker enters the mess hall wearing a casual shirt and looks
around at the crew laughing as if at him, then goes through another
door.) TUCKER: Sorry I'm late.
ARCHER: No problem. How you feeling?
TUCKER: I thought we all promised to keep this under wraps.
ARCHER: I haven't said a thing. Doctor?
PHLOX: Not a word.
TUCKER: I knew it. She probably let it slip the minute she left
Sickbay.
PHLOX: But Sub-Commander T'Pol promised to keep your pregnancy a secret.
TUCKER: Where I'm from, Vulcans aren't known for keeping promises.
ARCHER: Well, what makes you think she's told anyone?
TUCKER: All you have to do is see the way they whisper, talk behind my
back. You know what happened this morning? Ensign Hart pulled my chair
out for me. I'm telling you, it was T'Pol and you can be sure it was
intentional. What's that?
ARCHER: Chicken tetrazzini. (Tucker takes the remains of the dish.) ARCHER: Did
you cut yourself?
TUCKER: I wish. I don't want to ruin you appetites, but take a look at
this. (He peels back the plaster from the nipple on his wrist. There's a
second one starting up.) TUCKER: Just how many of these am I going to grow? And
while we're on the subject, are they going to go away again afterward?
PHLOX: One would think. Then again, I have no experience with this
species.
TUCKER: (putting the plaster back) Great.
ARCHER: You know, it's been over a week, Trip. We have to start
considering the possibility that we're not going to find the
Xyrillians.
TUCKER: What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm going to
deliver this baby?
PHLOX: I believe he's saying a good deal more than that. Once the child
is born, it may well rely on you in some way to care for it.
TUCKER: I'm the Chief Engineer. I spent years earning that position. I
never had any intention of becoming a working mother.
ARCHER: You know, the Doctor was saying that the gestation period will
only last another five weeks, six at the most.
PHLOX: You should expect to begin experiencing some unusual symptoms.
Hormonal changes mostly, mood swings, heightened emotions.
ARCHER: I suggest you stick with the civilian clothes. Seems to help
hide the bulge.
TUCKER: How much bigger is this thing going to get? I'm already the
laughing stock of the ship. (He summons the galley assistant.) TUCKER: I'd love
some more of this.
CREWMAN: Yes, sir. (The crewman leaves.)
ARCHER: I'd like you to start seeing the Doctor every eight hours. As
your delivery date gets closer, he should be able to start figuring out
what your postnatal responsibilities might be.
TUCKER: Postnatal responsibilities?
PHLOX: You may very well be putting those nipples to work before you
know it.
(The crewman has reentered with a fresh tray of chicken tetrazzini. Tucker
takes it off him and glares. The crewman leaves quickly.)
ARCHER: There's a bright side to all of this.
TUCKER: Yeah? What's that.
ARCHER: As far as we know, this is the first inter-species pregnancy
involving a human.
[Bridge]
REED: Got something.
TRAVIS: Looks like their signature.
T'POL: Coordinates oh seven eight mark six, three million kilometres.
Change our heading to intercept. Bridge to Archer.
ARCHER [OC]: Go ahead.
T'POL: We may have found the Xyrillian ship, sir.
[Captain's mess]
TUCKER: (to the ceiling) Thank you.
ARCHER: On our way.
[Bridge]
ARCHER: What have you got?
T'POL: We're approaching the coordinates. I've analysed the stealth
telemetry, I believe it's them.
ARCHER: Drop down to impulse. Hoshi, try to get an image. (A ship comes
up on the viewscreen.)
TUCKER: Doesn't look very stealthy to me.
ARCHER: Go tighter. (TOS fans will recognise it instantly.)
REED: If the starship profiles the Vulcans gave us are correct
T'POL: They're correct, Lieutenant. That's a Klingon battle cruiser.
TUCKER: Where the hell are the Xyrillians?
T'POL: It appears your repairs didn't last very long. If I'm correct,
they're hiding in the Klingon's plasma wake.
ARCHER: Hoshi?
HOSHI: The translation programme should be in pretty good shape, sir.
REED: Sir, with all due respect, do we really think this is a wise
idea?
ARCHER: If we're going to speak to the Xyrillians, we can't do it
without the Klingons knowing about it. Open a channel. This is Captain
Archer of the starship Enterprise. We respectfully would like to ask
for your assistance with a little problem we're having.
REED: Sir, they're charging weapons.
ARCHER: Polarize the hull plating. (A torpedo heads their way.) ARCHER: Grab
hold of something. (Whumph!)
REED: And another one.
TUCKER: Why are they attacking us?
T'POL: They're not. If they wanted to destroy Enterprise they would
have done it.
ARCHER: So I guess that's their version of a warning shot across our
bows.
REED: I don't recommend being the recipient of another warning like
that, sir.
TRAVIS: Should I lay in a new course, Captain?
ARCHER: No, stay where you are. Hail them again.
TUCKER: Sir, look at their starboard nacelle. The power's fluctuating
just like ours did when the Xyrillians were riding in our wake.
HOSHI: They're responding.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: What gives you the right to approach a Klingon
warship?
ARCHER: Please accept our apology, but I need to ask you a question.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: And what would that be?
ARCHER: Have you been experiencing any unusual malfunctions? Problems
with your gravity plating, propulsion, environmental controls?
VOROK [on viewscreen]: You've been monitoring our systems. For how
long?
ARCHER: We haven't, I promise you. The same things happened to us a few
days ago. Your problems are being caused by a small stealth vessel
that's been riding in your wake. They're using your plasma exhaust to
fuel their warp coils.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: (to subordinate) Find this vessel.
ARCHER: Wait a minute, wait a minute. They're harmless. We need them,
alive. Just give me a chance to explain.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: Find them! (Three photons light up the
Xyrillians and a tractor beam grabs them.)
KLINGON [on viewscreen]: There are thirty six aboard.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: Bring their Captain to me and execute the
others.
ARCHER: Didn't you hear what I said? I need them alive.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: What you need is to turn your puny ship around
and leave. These aliens violated our security and disrupted our
systems. Both are considered acts of war against the Empire.
ARCHER: I assure you that any damage they've done was unintentional.
They're simply trying to get home.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: They won't get home, but I'm more than willing
to hasten their journey to Sto-Vo-Kor.
ARCHER: Sto-Vo?
HOSHI: The afterlife.
ARCHER: You really don't want to hurt these people. They're actually
very kind. They just had some bad luck with their engines. When we
confronted them, they complied with all our requests.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: You're wasting my time.
T'POL: Less than one month ago, Captain Archer stood in the High
Council Chamber in Kronos. The Chancellor himself called him a man of
honour, a brother. Enterprise is the ship that found Klaang and
returned him to the Empire. Without Klaang, your houses would be at war
with each other. Jonathan Archer is the man who carried out that
rescue. You are in his debt. You would be demonstrating both honour and
wisdom to grant his request.
TUCKER: I'm the one who repaired their warp reactor, or at least I
thought I did. I spent three days on their ship. They have some amazing
technology. If you don't kill them, I'm sure they'd share it with you,
teach you how to use it.
KLINGON [on viewscreen]: What kind of technology?
TUCKER: Well for one, they've got some incredible holography. I don't
know how advanced Klingon holograms are, but these are like nothing I
ever saw before. Press a few buttons and you'll be standing on a
hillside overlooking Kronos. It's unbelievable. Couldn't hurt to take a
look, unless the decompression cycle frightens you.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: I am frightened by nothing, PetaQ.
ARCHER: If you agree to enter their vessel, I'd appreciate it if you
took my Chief Engineer with you.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: He talks too much. I'll bring a security team.
ARCHER: He was there for three days. They trust him. It'll make things
a lot easier.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: If their technology amuses me, I may spare their
lives. I don't need your engineer to help me make that decision.
ARCHER: There's another reason. Commander Tucker has some unfinished
business with the Xyrillians.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: I am not interested in your engineer's business.
ARCHER: There's a pregnancy involved.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: I thought you said you were there to fix their
warp reactor, not to impregnate one of their females. This should be a
lesson to you. Forget it happened.
TUCKER: I'm afraid that's not going to be so easy.
ARCHER: Show him. (Trip lifts his shirt to reveal a growth on his ribs.
The Klingons laugh.)
[Xyrillian ship]
TUCKER: Captain Vorok has agreed to consider
releasing your ship in exchange for one or two of your holographic
simulators. It would be a good idea to cooperate.
VOROK: This is a topographical survey of our capital.
TRENA'L: I'd be pleased to give you a demonstration. (he leaves with
the Klingons)
AH'LEN: The reactor worked fine for six days then went offline again.
How did you find us?
TUCKER: It wasn't easy, but we were very motivated.
AH'LEN: I don't understand. (Trip lifts his shirt to show his bulge.) AH'LEN: I
had no idea this could happen with another species. If I'd known.
TUCKER: No need to apologise, but I would be real appreciative if you
could get this out of me, assuming it's safe.
AH'LEN: (scans him) It's still early enough to transfer the embryo to
another host. She looks very healthy.
TUCKER: It's a girl, huh?
[Xyrillian holodeck]
(The Klingon simulation is active.)
VOROK: (pointing) You can see my house from here. Can this technology
be adapted to our power matrix?
TRENA'L: I'm sure we can make the appropriate modifications.
[Bridge]
VOROK [on viewscreen]: As soon as the installation
is complete, the Xyrillians will be free to go.
ARCHER: I appreciate your co-operation. I hope the next time we meet,
we can be of some help to you.
VOROK [on viewscreen]: Listen to me very carefully. Our debt is repaid.
We have no interest in meeting you again, and if we do, I promise,
you'll regret it.
[Captain's mess]
TUCKER: The only thing worse than spending three
hours in a decompression chamber with a bunch of Klingons is doing it
twice in one day. I smelled things in there I hope I never smell again.
ARCHER: Trena'l told me that at full impulse, they can probably get
home in less than a month.
TUCKER: No more hitch-hiking?
ARCHER: That business about the Klingon Chancellor calling me a
brother, was that true?
T'POL: Klingons are known to exaggerate. I saw nothing wrong with doing
the same.
ARCHER: Your appetite seems to be back to normal.
TUCKER: Just eating for one again.
T'POL: I've run a check through the Starfleet database. You might be
pleased to know that this is the first recorded incident of a human
male becoming pregnant.
TUCKER: Just how I always wanted to get into the history books.
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