Chivalry- Ch. 2

Chivalry Is Dead

By THECURSOR

Rating- NC-17 and I intend to earn it too.
Disclaimer: I own nothing

*****

Chapter 2
The image of her smiling sister blinked in and out of clarity as T’Pol found herself fighting the distinct urge to scream. No matter how much distance she put between her estranged sister and herself, Seri always seemed to find her.

Even in deep space.

“Oh T’Pol, I’m so glad you came along!” Seri continued to smile happily, totally unaware to how much it was aggravating her sister, “My crewmates and I were attacked by these awful Nausican-“

“Thank you Seri, I will inform the Captain that you require assistance.” T’Pol did not technically grit her teeth when she spoke but the bridge crew certainly sensed her tension when she spoke to her sister, a fact that seemed to send shock and confusion through them. The majority of the crew had never seen this side of her, with the invisible rage boiling beneath the surface. They’d just naturally assumed she was beyond this sort of emotional ‘out burst’.

Seri’s smile waned slightly at the interruption but she didn’t seem surprised at T’Pol’s behavior. It was obvious their relationship was filled with many moments like these. “Very well but could you also please transport some of our wounded to your medical facilities? Our doctor is unable to fully cope with the-“

“I’m sorry but that is not standard procedure, I must inform the Captain before I can authorize any use of the transporters.” T’Pol again managed to keep the any emotions she was feeling from her voice but they were some how still evident in her face and movements. Every seemed to know what was going through the Science Officer’s head.

Even Seri.

The smile was gone completely now and in it’s place was a pained aggravation, a level of frustration only a sibling could cause. “Perhaps you could suspend your procedures for a short while so that I can save the lives of my fellow crewmates!”

“Are any of the injured persons in immediate danger of dying?”

“No but-“

“Then I have little reason to suspend procedure.” T’Pol blinked, an unsaid insult conveyed in that single moment, “Please standby while I seek the Captain’s approval.”

Seri fumed but said nothing, holding her tongue as T’Pol reached over to Crewman Darby’s console and pressed the End Transmission button

**************************************************************************************

“So how bad is it?” The mood was grim in the Situation Room of the side of the Bridge as Captain Archer and his senior officers discussed their options.

“It’s bad sir,” Reed said as he handed the Captain a copy of the ballistics report he wrote, “Two Nausican vessels, top of the line and with a high probability of returning.”

“Return? What the hell for?”

“The Vulcans were supposed to be a glory kill.” Travis said, crossing his arms in front his chest to hide his growing worry, “The fact that they weren’t destroyed may just mean they want to prolong the hunt. I’ve heard about them doing this kind of with cargo flyers and probe ships, it never ends well.”

Archer’s fingers instinctively rubbed the bridge of his nose as the news fully sunk in. The frown that had been on his face at the beginning of the meeting deepened significantly. “Well, I guess we’re stuck here.”

“Stuck here? B-but couldn’t we just call the Vulcans?” Hoshi’s out burst was shared by others around the table but for some reason she was the only one who spoke. Not two days ago Archer had promised to find the crew a nice, quiet planet with a warm climate for some much needed R and R, by staying the crew’s vacation plans could be postponed indefinitely and no one really wanted to remain in a perpetual state of tactical alert in the middle of nowhere, hoping not to get shot at. Realizing he needed to sell his case a little to his subordinates, Archer stood up and put on his best ‘good example’ face. He really was very aware of how corny he sounded when he talked like this but he also knew it simply couldn’t be helped.

“We came out here on a mission of understanding, Ensign.” Archer said with a wince, “Sometimes the best way to achieve that understanding is through helping others. I can’t, I won’t, abandon these people to be killed just because it inconveniences us.” He sounded like such a boy scout.

“Yes sir.” Hoshi said, glad she didn’t have to sit through another long speech.

“Good, glad we’re all in agreement.” Archer knew his crew still had doubts about remaining but they would do what they were told. His conscience snapped at him a little and he felt slightly guilty at the prospect of breaking his promise to the crew. “I’ll tell you what, when this is all over I’ll give you guys another week on Risa.”

It did little to make anyone feel better, so Jon just changed the subject. “How long do you think repairs will take Trip?”

Through the entire meeting, Commander Charles Tucker III was somewhere else. To be more specific he was next to T’Pol instead of across the room from her. Inside, he felt an overwhelming urge to talk to her, to finish the conversation she refused to finish earlier. He didn’t even hear the Captain’s question.

“Trip?”

“Huh?”

“We were just wondering if you knew how long repairs would take,” Archer muttered sarcastically, “But if we’re disturbing you let us know.”

“Sorry Cap’n.” Tucker kicked himself for letting his mind get distracted.

Archer waited a moment, then asked impatiently, “Well?”

“Oh! The repairs to the Vulcan ship!”

“Yes, those repairs.”

“Well, I’m afraid we won’t know until I get over there with an away team to asses the damage.” Trip rubbed his temples and tried not to look anyone in the eye for the rest of the meeting. T’Pol in particular.

He REALLY need to talk to her alone.

**************************************************************************************

Archer had kept Trip for five minutes after the meeting to ask him what was wrong. When it was finally over, Tucker was unpleasantly surprised to find out that it took a further two minutes to get to the turbo lift from the Captain’s ready room. All in all, he just barely reached the turbo lift at the same time as T’Pol.

“T’POL, WAIT!”

The Vulcan Science Officer refused to even acknowledge Commander Tucker’s presence, forcing Trip to race into the lift before the doors shut him out. He ran so fast that his breath came in short panicked gasps and his legs began to burn terribly at the knees. But it was worth it; he REALLY needed to talk to her.

Tucker slide just inside the lift before the doors closed and settled in a slightly too close position beside the Vulcan. He said nothing initially, as if daring T’Pol to speak first. She said nothing and the sound of the lift seemed to fill the room with an added tension. Trip felt his frown deepen and his rage increase as the seconds ticked by in silence. Finally, Tucker had enough.

Purposefully leaning past T’Pol and pressing the large ‘Hold’ button, Trip forced her attention away from the wall in front of her. She turned, meeting his hard glare with a raised eyebrow and a blank expression. “Is there something wrong Commander?”

”Hell yes there is!” T’Pol continued her silent stare, increasing Tucker’s rage with every further delay. “We need to finish our little conversation god damn it!”

“As I recall,” T’Pol said matter of factly, “I ended our conversation.”

“But I didn’t!” Tucker shot back, a look of defiance in his eyes.

“I fail to see what else there is for us to discuss.”

“How about the way you treat me? This detached cold-”

“I treat you with the same level of respect I treat everyone on this ship.”

“But that’s the problem!” Trip suddenly didn’t feel very angry anymore, he felt sad. Like someone had punched him in the gut two years ago and he had never cried about it until just then. He just couldn’t keep this bottled up anymore. “I’m not ‘everyone else’, I’m your lover. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Deep within T’Pol there was slight twinge, like a cold chill that left as quickly as it came. She ignored it. “I am sorry Commander,” She replied, “But it does not.”

Suddenly, it all became very clear to Charles Tucker. What they’d shared…it didn’t mean the same thing to her that it had meant to him.

And it never would.

“T’Pol.” He said very quietly, almost logically.

“Yes, Commander?”

“I-I’m afraid this I have to put an end to our previous agreement to engage in sexual activities.”

Again the twinge returned but T’Pol convinced herself that it was simply too cold inside the lift and the environmental controls would need to be adjusted. “May I ask why?” She was detached in the question; more so than usual, she didn’t really need to know this information but there was no real harm in asking.

Tucker sighed sadly, the fight completely out of him. He pressed the hold button again and the lift continued onward towards its destination. “Because T’Pol, you obviously don’t know how to fulfill my needs anymore.”

T’Pol returned her eyes forward. “Very well.”

And they stood quietly, ignoring each other’s presence until the lift doors opened and T’Pol got off.

Through some miracle of emotional fortitude, Tucker was able to keep from crying. Pressing another button on the lift control sent it humming to the main shuttle bay and his sworn duty to lead an away team on a repair mission.

No matter how badly his heart was broken.

**************************************************************************************

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Half a dozen of you have made comments

Ouch...it is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?

This story is probing into a bit of the Trip/T'Pol relationship that nobody ever really likes to discuss. Would T'Pol even be able to love Trip? Nobody like to say no, but this story has, atleast, addressed it nicely.

Now, I'm just hoping T'Pol will come to her senses. ;)

How harsh! Poor Trip! I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Absolutely excellent. Wow, what a gut punch for Trip and what a tangle T'Pol is getting herself into what with her estrangement from her sister and now from Trip as well, all her pigeons are set to come home to roost around the same time. How will she cope? What about Trip? Thanks for a great story. I like this perspective. Ali D :~)

Yikes, that smarts. Poor Trip. Yes, things aren't going to get pretyt any time soon. But maybe in the end thay will?

This is a very different take on the Trip/T'Pol relationship. Are we going to find out what made Trip agree to it in the first place?

I'm also loving the sister-sister back story here.

Interesting story - what turned T'Pol & Seri around - as children they seemed to be opposites.