Chivalry- Ch 7

Chivalry Is Dead, Chapter 7

By Peter Simons

Author's Note: I would like to thank my great beta readers Triplover and Jenna for helping me with this chapter.

»No matter what I think of, V'Tan, I always end up thinking about him after a moment. It hurts, but I cannot stop doing it!«

»Shhhh. Child, be calm. I know how you feel.«

»You do?«

»Of course.«

»How can I solve this problem? What technique do I use to suppress the emotion? How can I even meditate like this?«

»T'Pol …«

The older woman reached for her face again. She wiped her tears away with her fingertips and looked at her.

»There is nothing you can do, T'Pol. I can tell you what I have learned about feeling like this, but it will not help you.«

»I would like to know nonetheless.«

»A Vulcan who can feel great pain can also feel great pleasure.«

»You were right. That doesn't help me.«

Jonathan Archer was skeptical about the idea of sharing quarters with a Vulcan. He didn't know what to expect from the Vulcan Captain. Venek was his name. He had been injured in the attack and had only now gotten clearance to leave Sickbay. Archer felt a tingle of anxiety about his arrival.

Most of the Vulcan crew appeared to be rather friendly, but he also remembered the occasion when one such seemingly nice person had attacked him — and T'Pol. He was suspicious.

»Captain Archer, are you certain it is no inconvenience? You appear to be preoccupied.«

»Captain Venek, it is no inconvenience. I am pleased we finally get the chance to spend some time with each other. Doctor Phlox informed me that your recovery is making good process?«

»Yes, my physical condition has greatly improved in the last two days.«

»I see.«

Archer looked at the floor for a moment and wondered what to say next.

»Is there anything you need? Can I offer you something to drink?«

»A glass of water would be agreeable, Captain.«

»Right.«

Oh my, this was going to be a long evening.

5 minutes of silence later.

»You seem to be really tense, Captain Archer.«

»Tense? Um … well, the last few days have been pretty exciting. I guess I just need a moment to settle down.«

»As it happens, Captain, my crew was prudent enough to rescue a few leaves of the Theris herb we had on board. It has several relaxing properties — maybe you would like to try it?«

»Excellent. Now we need a thin paper. Something to hold the leaves together.«

»Do yo have a lighter?«

»Phew, that tastes pretty good!«

»It's a shame we have so little of it, Captain Archer. We could make a wonderful tea from these leaves, too. Ah, perhaps on another occasion. Anyway, would you pass the … thank you.«

»Wooooow.«

Captain Archer and his Vulcan guest lounged comfortably in their chairs, right in front of the largest window.

»Just look at the stars …«

»They are beautiful.«

»They are, Captain.«

»That's what drove me out here. Being among all these stars is …«

»It is wonderful, Captain. I never tire of looking at them.«

»Neither do I, Captain.«

»Captain?«

»Who said that?«

Archer shook his head and tried to focus. A humanoid figure had suddenly appeared in his quarters!

»Daniels!«

»Captain Archer. Captain Venek. We need to speak.«

»Right now?«

»Yes, the matter is rather pressing.«

Archer groaned and sunk down even further in his chair than he had already.

»Captain, we have detected a glitch in the time-line. And if things progress any further, then this glitch will become a serious problem.«

»What is it this time, Daniels?«

»A valued member of Captain Venek's crew is about to perform Vulcan neuro-pressure with your Commander Tucker, Captain. It is Doctor Seri.«

»Neuro-pressure?«

Archer looked at his Vulcan guest for help.

»It is a very intimate procedure, Captain. The proper term in English would probably be fore-play.«

»Ah. Yes, that makes sense. Doctor Seri is rather cute.«

Daniels spoke up again: »It may be very romantic, Captain Archer, but you cannot allow it to happen.«

»Why not? It is not against regulations, is it?«

»It is against history, Captain. If this ritual takes place between them, the consequences will be bad.«

»Bad for Trip and Seri?«

»Bad for the galaxy, Captain.«

»I see.«

»If ENTERPRISE holds this course, Captain, you will soon discover an inhabitable planet on your sensors. Something down there will raise your interest. I cannot be more specific. However, it is imperative that you send Doctor Seri, Commander Tucker, and Subcommander T'Pol down there together to investigate. This may be the last chance to save civilization as we know it. Uh, will know it. At least I will. Anyway, send them down on that planet, Captain. And send them alone.«

»I see.«

»There is more. You have a temporal agent on board who is trying to interfere in this matter. Probably right now. I cannot stress enough how serious this problem is, Captain. You MUST prevent this neuro-pressure session from happening!«

»Alright, I got it.«

»Good. The 31st century puts all its faith in your ability to deal with this crisis, Captain. Do not fail us!«

»I won't.«

Suddenly Daniels he was gone!

Archer looked at Captain Venek with a doubtful expression on his face.

»Did you see that, too?«

»The human in the tight PVC clothes?«

»You think that was PVC?«

»Looked like it.«

»You saw him, too?«

»Yes, standing right over there out of the sudden. A very strange experience.«

»Some more of that Theris herb might help deal with the shock.«

»This tastes really great, Venek.«

»It gets better every time you try it.«

»Listen, we both saw Daniels, right?«

»You know him?«

»I see him from time to time.«

»Does he always appear in your quarters just like that?«

»Yeah, most of the time.«

»I almost forgot! My point was: We both saw him, right?«

»Yes, Captain. What is your point?«

»What are the chances of both of us having exactly the same hallucination at exactly the same time?«

»Zero, for all practical purposes.«

»That is my point. This stuff is really awesome!«

»V'Tan, I cannot just wait until it goes away. There has to be some way to amend this horrible situation?«

»No, T'Pol. There is absolutely no way. All you can do is wait for the feelings to subside. They will go away, trust me. I have had many lovers — all of them were special to me. However, you shouldn't commit yourself so much to a single male! There are so many others, T'Pol. You are young. What you really should do is forget him. Let him spend his time with your sister, if that is what he wants.«

»You think?«

»Of course. If he doesn't appreciate your unique qualities, then send him into the desert, metaphorically, and leave him to rot. Find yourself another nice male.«

»I am not convinced I can do that, V'Tan. I have tried to suppress the emotions, but …«

»T'Pol, you really have to pull yourself together now. Listen—«

A swoosh interrupted V'Tan in mid-sentence. Suddenly the door to T'Pol's quarters had opened and had revealed Captain Archer and Captain Venek in front of the entrance. The Vulcan stood with his arms crossed before his chest and looked at the older Vulcan woman with intensity.

»Greetings. Captain Archer informed me you are part of my crew, V'Tan? It's strange we have never met before.«

Next to him Archer was fiddling with a hand scanner he had pointed into the room. Then he yelled out in surprise.

»Silik!«

The elderly Vulcan women suddenly sprung to her feet and stormed into the direction of the door without hesitation. Everything had happened so fast that T'Pol couldn't even blink before V'Tan crashed into them and threw the two men to the floor with her.

V'Tan came back to her feet first. She looked left, right, then started to race down the corridor, out of T'Pol's sight.

Captain Archer had risen to his knees by now, too. He looked into the room, at T'Pol: »Are you all right?«

»I am fine, Captain.«

He nodded, then sprung to his feet and dashed away into the same direction V'Tan had run.

»Subcommander.« Captain Venek nodded politely to T'Pol. He hit the button which would close the door again, then turned and ran away, too.

Suddenly T'Pol found herself sitting in her quarters alone.

»Wonderful. Just wonderful.« she thought.

All this hadn't helped her at all.

Archer had called all senior officers to the situation room. Captain Venek and Doctor Seri were also present. Right now, they were listening to Lieutenant Reed's report. Silik had escaped. Again!

»… Ensign Looren tried to stop his escape, but was overpowered. We don't know yet how Silik managed to open the bay doors. Neither do we know how he was able to start the Suliban cell ship we had in the shuttle bay.«

»Apparently he was. Is there any sign of the cell ship on sensors?«

»No, Captain.«

For a moment they all just stood there and were silent. Then Ensign Mayweather's voice could be heard from the bridge.

»Captain? We have picked up an inhabitable planet on sensors.«

»Really? Isn't that surprise.«

»Alright. Tell me what you've found out about that planet. Anything of interest, Subcommander?«

»No, Captain.«

»Nothing?«

»No, Captain.«

»No sign of intelligent life? Technology? Rare metals?«

»No, Captain.«

»I see.« He looked at Venek for a moment, then turned to Reed.

»Anything on sensors?«

»No, Captain.«

»Maybe Silik went that way?«

»We have no indication he did, Captain.«

»Right.«

He looked at Venek again. The Vulcan seemed to shrug.

»Are there any interesting phenomena in the vicinity? A red giant, maybe? A black hole? Anything?«

»No, Captain.«

»Well … In that case, I think this is suspicious. Let's head towards it.«

Just as his senior officers were about to begin their protest, Seri interrupted them.

»Interesting.« she said, more to herself.

»What?«

She pointed at the surface map, at a location near a fairly large chain of mountains.

»What have you found out, Subcommander?«

»The sensor anomalies are caused by a complex compound, Captain, and the compound is based on an ore neither Starfleet nor the Vulcan High-Command has encountered before. Its properties are hard to estimate without further study, but the readings suggest that it naturally deflects our sensors.«

»That is unusual.«

»Indeed. It is likely that this material could be used to shield against many forms of energy waves — against space distortions, for example. It might also be of value in constructing cloaking mechanisms similar to the ones the Suliban use.«

»That sounds very interesting, Subcommander! Do we have a name for this compound?«

»According to its sub-molecular structure, the proper name would be d-lysergic acid diethylamide, Captain. It is, however, similar to a material that has already been discovered: Trellium-A. So I would propose to call it Trellium-D.«

»Excellent work, Subcommander. How can we get samples of this compound?«

»The sensors show an extensive system of caves under these mountains, Captain.« T'Pol indicated the location on the map where Seri had spotted the sensor glitch first. »If we can find an entry to these caves, we should be able to reach an underground deposit and mine the compound with little effort.«

»Perfect! We'll need an away team then. Commander Tucker, Doctor Seri, please assemble the required mining equipment. This sounds like a job for two engineers.«

»Aye, Captain.« Trip replied happily.

»Aye, Captain.« Seri seemed to be no less pleased.

»T'Pol, since you are the expert on this compound, you will supervise the mission. You are in command.«

»Aye, Captain.«

Trip and Seri hadn't been pleased by his last order.

This was one of the moments when Seri wished she hadn't strayed from the paths of the Vulcan High-Command. Right now, she didn't appreciate her emotions very much. The silence was eerie.

»… beep …«

4.32 minutes until they would land on the planet. Someone would have to say something soon.

She studied the surface through the window on her side of the shuttle. They were headed towards one of the smaller mountains which had a system of caves underneath it. There they would be able to mine the rare substance the Humans wanted to know more about.

She checked the instruments again. 4.12 minutes to go. Soon someone would say something.

»… beep …«

16.97 minutes later.

She had been wrong.

They had sat the shuttle down at the foot of the mountain where they had discovered an entry to the caves underneath it. Trip had silently begun unloading the machinery they would use to mine the Trellium-D and T'Pol was scanning the area as if her life depended on it. Nobody had said a word.

Seri looked around to find something useful to do. Since there was nothing, she just stood outside of the shuttle and watched her sister. T'Pol was tense.

She could tell something was wrong with her.

At last the voice of Trip could be heard.

»Mining this ore is gonna be no problem. The caves are full of it.«

Seri was so glad someone had broken the silence.

»Let's get inside. I will help you set up the equipment, Trip.«

»Great. Um, T'Pol … why don't you—«

»I need to speak with my sister for a moment, Commander. Why don't you go ahead and look for a suitable mining spot, and we will follow you as soon as we are done?«

Uh oh.

Whatever her sister wanted to discuss, she didn't want to hear it! She looked at Trip and hoped that he would refuse.

»Okay.«

Then he turned and entered the cave carrying a large bag of technical equipment.

Seri took a few quick steps into the direction of the cave entry. She seriously considered fleeing T'Pol — but her sister wouldn't give her that chance. She had maneuvered herself between Seri and the cave entry. She had cut off her escape route.

T'Pol looked at her with menace.

»We need to speak, Seri.«

»About what?«

T'Pol looked very tense. It was in the way she moved. She took small steps towards her. She walked slowly. She always kept her balance, so that she could attack her instantly. Seri swallowed.

»Let your guard down, little sister. Just for .5 seconds …«

Seri backed away from T'Pol, but her sister followed her step by step. Suddenly she realized that she was trapped between T'Pol and the shuttle now. She looked left and right and wondered where to go.

There was nowhere to go.

By now, T'Pol stood only a meter away from her. She faced her frontal. Seri looked into her eyes and she knew it was serious. T'Pol was more emotional than she had ever seen her before. T'Pol was furious.

»Stay away from him.« her sister whispered into her direction.

Then Seri realized what this was about. It was about Trip! T'Pol was emotionally attached to him! She could see it written all over her face. The insight was perplexing. T'Pol saw a rival in her! And as it happened, she was right.

Seri narrowed her eyes dangerously. She erected her body and stretched herself consciously to loosen her muscles. She faced her rival frontal.

»That will be difficult, T'Pol. We share a room.«

She could see the blow had hit her.

Not hard enough, though. T'Pol took another step towards her. Seri could feel her breath on her face now. She watched her sister raise her right hand slowly and put it on her shoulder, next to her neck. Her stare was mad.

This time she spit the words out like poison.

»Stay away from him, little sister.«

Seri could feel T'Pol's hand apply pressure to her collar bone. She knew exactly what T'Pol was trying to do. Nothing had changed. She was older, she was taller, and she was stronger than Seri was. She used it to intimidate her, just like she had as a child. But she, at least, WAS NO CHILD ANYMORE!

With a sudden movement Seri pushed her sister in the chest, shoved her away from her. She bared her teeth while snarling her reply.

»I will do whatever I please, T'Pol.«

»You have always taken my things, Seri. You have always interfered in my matters. I will not stand it any longer! Not this time. Stay AWAY from him.«

»And you have always been undisciplined, T'Pol. Your logic is flawed.«

»You will not lecture me on logic anymore, little sister.«

T'Pol shifted her weight and took one step to the side. She tried to find a weakness in her defenses. Seri simply turned and faced her frontal again. She would not be intimidated this time!

»But I have to, T'Pol. You speak about Trip as if he were an inanimate object. I think he should have something to say in this matter …«

She readied herself for the attack that would doubtlessly follow now. Her focus was glued to T'Pol.

»I think, my sister, we should ask HIM who of us should leave him alone.«

T'Pol looked at her sister. She had heard the words, but she could not grasp their meaning. Some part of her refused to understand it. Powerful emotions boiled inside of her. She heard the words in her mind again and again.

At last, she understood.

She had lost him.

A violent BOOM shook the earth and air around her. T'Pol could literally feel the shock waves hit her, push her off-balance; and she hoped the earth would split open and swallow her.

She had lost.

She was the one who interfered. It didn't matter whether her sister stayed away from him or not.

Trip didn't want her back!

She struggled for balance. The realization hit her so hard that she saw stars because of the pain.

After a while, the pain subsided. It all died away. The tension, the anxiety, the burning, the warmth … every emotion she had felt just collapsed. For the first time in days, she saw clearly.

She had lost him.

She accepted it.

She was back in control.

She was sooo cold …

Seri didn't know how to deal with the shock. She had expected to be attacked, but instead a violent explosion underground had shook the earth from the core. In horror, she stared past her sister at the cave entry; she watched it collapse with a loud thunder. She knew, whatever had caused this explosion, it had been massive.

Trip!

She couldn't deal with it. The emotions overwhelmed her completely. For the first time in more than 12 years, she fought for control.

Could he have survi—

She was unable to complete the thought. There was too much pain.

With wide-open eyes she stared helplessly at her sister who stood before her, perfectly calm, completely impassionate to the situation. Only the slightest hint of curiosity was recognizable on her face as she studied Seri, momentarily confused by her panic-stricken sister.

All Seri could do was point into the direction of the cave entry.

She watched her sister turn her head.

She was hit by a telepathic shock wave so powerful that it singed her consciousness. She tumbled from the intense emotions her sister radiated right in front of her.

Then she blacked out. She just froze on the spot. It took 1.17 minutes before she began to breathe again.

Seri fought for control. She had never experienced emotions anywhere near this intensity before. It had been deeply unsettling. She had no words to describe how miserable a state she was in.

Slowly, ever so slowly did she manage to open her eyes. The world spun. She felt her consciousness return to her body. She ached all over. She felt horrible.

Then she could see again. She saw the collapsed entry to the cave. T'Pol stood right in front of it.

Seri tried to move her head. She blinked. She recognized that T'Pol was scanning the area.

»What are you doing?«

»Finding Commander Tucker.«

It took her an eternity to understand the reply.

Could he have survi—

She closed her eyes again when pain swept over her.

She realized, she couldn't deal with these emotions. It was too much.

She renewed her battle for control. She had to be logical now. She had to be rational now. The explosion had been significant. There was a significant chance that the mining process had caused it. Which meant that Trip would have been clos—

Perhaps he had been somewhere else?

Even if he hadn't been near the source of the explosion, half of the mountain had collapsed! Almost all oxygen would have been consumed by the explosion instantly! There really was no other conclusion …

He was dead.

She accepted it.

She was back in control.

Seri started to walk over to the collapsed cave entry, to her sister. T'Pol seemed to be in control, too. She was calm. She scanned the area methodically. But why was she doing that?

»T'Pol, you cannot find Commander Tucker under all this rock with a hand scanner.«

»ENTERPRISE is scanning, too.«

Her sister hadn't even looked at her.

»The Trellium-D interferes with their sensors, T'Pol. That's the reason why we were sent to investigate it.«

»We will find him.«

She still didn't take her eyes off the scanner she was operating.

»T'Pol, you are in denial of the facts! The chances of Commander Tucker surviving this explosion are below 0.002—«

»STOP IT!«

Now T'Pol looked at her.

Seri froze dead in her tracks. The sight of her sister's eyes was unsettling. The horror she saw in them went past her control.

»He is alive.« T'Pol begged her.

She closed her eyes and repeated the words in a calm voice, like a mantra.

»He is alive.«

She remained like this for a moment — only to suddenly explode in a martial-arts move that sent her fist crashing against the largest rock in her reach with so much force that large splinters of stone flew through the air upon impact.

Seri tumbled once more. She was sick to the stomach from the sound she had heard when T'Pol's bare hand had hit the stone, but the image of her blood smeared all over the rocks was too much. Darkness overwhelmed her again.

Seri heard the voice of her sister as if from a distance. She had idea who she was talking to.

»Is it Trip?«

»I don't know, Subcommander. It could be anything … all I can see is a glitch on the sensors.«

»Can you get a transporter lock?«

»No. The readings are far too inaccurate for the transporter.«

»Could you use the transporter if you had more accurate coordinates?«

»Probably.«

»Fire at the location, Lieutenant.«

»I beg your pardon?«

»Fire at the location with a sustained, low-yield energy beam. Burn a tunnel as close to the location as you can get. I will go in.«

Then a different voice could be heard.

»T'Pol, do you know what caused the explosion?«

»No, Captain.«

»What if there is anoth—«

»I am aware of the risks, Captain.«

»What if we hit the Com—«

»Captain, this is the only way to get to Trip before he runs out of oxygen. We don't know how badly he is wounded either. Time is of essence.«

For a prolonged moment there was silence. The tone of her voice had betrayed her rational words. Then the Captain could be heard again.

»Carry out your orders, Lieutenant.«

The sound of the weapon's impact had ripped Seri out of her trance. She stood near the shuttle, together with T'Pol. She watched the beam burn itself into the ground. Dust and dirt hung in the air for a while, even after the beam was gone.

At last she could see the opening the weapon had burnt into the stone. Now that she could see it with her own eyes, she wondered …

Maybe Trip was alive?

Maybe T'Pol had been right?

Suddenly she was wide awake. She looked at her sister, who stood next to her.

»We will find him, T'Pol.«

Crawling through the tunnel was a claustrophobic experience, even for a Vulcan. There was barely enough air to breathe. It was fortunate the Vulcan body was accustomed to a thin atmosphere, Seri thought. The tunnel lead them downwards in a steep angle. Every now and then, they would find a larger cave which had crossed the beam's path. There they could walk upright — and breathe — for a moment.

Seri knew they must have made good progress. She estimated that they were within 25 meters of the location where Lieutenant Reed had detected the life-sign. But they had been brought to a sudden halt. A part of the tunnel had collapsed. Together, they had been able to clear a small opening, and T'Pol tried furiously to fit through. She had tried for 38 seconds already. It was too small.

»T'Pol, let me try. I will fit through.«

Her sister looked at her with an unreadable expression. Half of her body was still stuck in the opening. Seri looked at her face. She could only guess what she was thinking.

»I will not interfere, T'Pol. You have my word. Please, let me try.«

For a moment longer T'Pol just looked at her. Then she unwrapped herself from the opening and calmly stepped aside.

»No, Seri, you were right. I am the one who will no longer interfere.«

Her face was a mask.

Seri hesitated for a second, but when it became clear that T'Pol wouldn't say anything further, she stepped towards the opening and began to squeeze herself through furiously.

»Where am I?«

»Trip? I have to move you three, maybe four meters to the side. We cannot get a lock on this position. Stay clam.«

»Seri?«

»I'll be careful.«

He opened his eyes and saw nothing. It was dark. There were only glimpses of light. He could hear her breathing, but he couldn't feel anything! Where was he?

What had happened?

»ENTERPRISE, try again now.«

»Seri?«

Finally he saw something! The image was unfocused, but he recognized the face.

Profound relief washed over him. He knew he would be alright. He even smiled for a moment, before he drifted back into unconsciousness. His last words were barely audible.

»Thank you, Trinity.«

»T'Pol?«

»Yes, Captain?«

»We have Trip and Seri on board now: Trip is alive.«

»Very good.«

»We will transport you out of there, too, T'Pol. Hold your posi—«

»That is quite unnecessary, Captain. I will return to ENTERPRISE with the shuttle.«

»Are you sure about this, T'Pol? Are you all right?«

»I am fine.«

»… beep …«

T'Pol couldn't even remember her way back to the surface.

She felt oddly displaced in the world.

Some part of her wanted to contact ENTERPRISE and ask for the condition of Commander Tucker. Another part knew that there was nothing she could do from here.

So she just sat in the shuttle and stared at the controls.

She was numb.

»… beep …«

T'Pol waited patiently for the air lock to open. When it had, she stepped through and headed for Sickbay. She ignored the crew member who operated the console on the other side.

She walked through the corridors in trance, past other crew members. She didn't even recognize their faces.

After an eternity, she reached Sickbay and stepped in. She surveyed the room quickly, then heard Phlox's voice and headed into its direction.

She had been prepared for the worst — but still the image shook her. She saw him lying on a bio bed, covered in bandages and plasters. She instantly analyzed the probable wounds, then tried to recognize the displays of the machines he was connected to. At last she could read his status.

He was not seriously injured. He was alive.

Suddenly she was weak.

»T'Pol?«

It was her sister's voice.

T'Pol looked again, and then she saw her, too. The color of her face was unhealthy, she noticed. Her left hand clutched to right hand of Commander Tucker. She sat right next to his bed. Curious. Why hadn't she noticed her sister before?

»T'Pol …«

This had been Phlox's voice. What was going on?

»I better take a look at your hand right away, Subcommander.«

What was he talking about?

Slowly she angled her head forward and looked down her torso.

»Oh, curious.« she thought. »I am damaged.«

Am I dead?

I seem to be awake.

Why else would I think these thoughts? I cannot be dead.

Then why it so dark here? Why is it so cold here?

Why is there nobody else here?

T'Pol looked past the meditation candle. She could barely see it. She had sunken down in front of her bed with crossed legs. She had given up on trying to sit straight long ago. Where was the point?

Now she stared at her bandaged hand again. She massaged it forcefully, but there was no pain. There was nothing at all.

She gave up.

She could not feel anything. Just like she had always claimed she wanted it to be. She had gotten her wish. Now she wished she could feel anything, even pain. But there was none.

She could think with brilliant clarity now. Her mind was sharp like a razor blade. So she directed that razor at herself.

I have lost him.

I have had his love and lost it because I couldn't see how wrong I was. Because I was so full of myself that I failed to see that I was hurting him. Whatever pain I felt, I made him feel the same with my behavior. I don't deserve him. It is quite readily explained why he instinctively prefers my sister's company over mine. It is, because she is a worthy mate for him — and I am not.

She focused.

She had to be hurt by this? Clearly there had to be some emotion?

But there was none.

T'Pol wouldn't give up so easily.

She recalled the nights she had spent with him. She recalled them in every slight detail. For an eternity she re-lived the memories of the times they had been intimate.

She could feel nothing.

She had suppressed the emotions back then. She had denied them. She had not let them into her consciousness. Now she could not remember them. Every emotion she had felt for Trip was lost. She had lost them along with him. She had lost everything.

What was she supposed to do now?

She had no idea at all.

T'Pol sneaked through the ship's corridors. It was in the middle of the night and she had no business where she was going, but she knew no other place to go. She would not sleep anyway.

Carefully, she peeked around the corner and saw the door to Sickbay: there was no-one else in the vicinity. Quickly she hurried to the door, pushed the button to open it, and stepped inside as quietly as she could.

She remained by the side of the entrance for a moment after it had closed behind her. It was dark and quiet in Sickbay. She knew Doctor Phlox would sleep in the next room.

Then she heard his breathing. There was only one patient.

Ever so slowly she tiptoed over to the bio bed where Trip lay. When she stood right next to him, she studied his face for a long time. Phlox had wrapped a bandage over his eyes, because they had been hurt in the explosion. There were numerous cuts in his face. Both of his legs had been broken. T'Pol could see dark bruises on his arms and neck, too. It was a miracle he had survived.

A shiver went through her.

She studied his face once more. He looked calm. Phlox had given him a sedative so that he would sleep and feel no pain. He had not been awake ever since Seri had found him. T'Pol would have given everything to be able to talk to him now.

She pushed all these thoughts out of her mind and focused on the rhythm of his breathing. She tried to quicken her own breathing to match his. With closed eyes she stood next to him and focused on the sound they made when they breathed together. She focused on the feeling in her lungs when the air rushed in, she felt them expand and grow, then fall together again, pushing the air through her throat back outside. She was mesmerized.

In trance she reached out with her injured hand and laid it on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat through the bandages. It was strong! BOOM, it beat under her hand. Then her own heart fell in: BOOM. She forgot where she was. She forgot everything in favor of the sensation of their hearts beating together. There was no time or space for her. Just his pulsating heart under her hand. BOOM

She was alive!

She had no idea how long she had stood there, but suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her hand and jerked because of it. Her eyes flew open and saw that Trip had put his hand over hers! It was such a simple gesture, but — right now — it meant everything to her.

She stared at his face and searched for signs that he was conscious. Then she heard him whisper! She brought her head closer to his face to understand him.

»Don't be sad, Seri. Everything will be alright.«

Suddenly, T'Pol was numb. She stared at the spot where his eyes were under the bandage he wore.

»How do you know I am not T'Pol?«

A shadow of a smile showed around his lips.

»Come on …« he mumbled sleepily. »T'Pol wouldn't cry at my bed, would she?«

He squeezed her hand weakly with his once more, before he drifted back into sleep.

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Great Story, but please end T'Pols suffering soon.

Fun! and Weird. Come on !!! write faster please!!! I can't wait to see how this goes forward!

hmmm. what was that numbness? little confused but in a very good way. write faster ;)

The basics of the story are fine. You need to check your vocabulary, since you are using some words incorrectly. And why does everyone seem to be fourteen years old?

Very interesting direction that you have taken this story. I never anticipated the 'Daniel's' and 'Silik' angle. I'm not sure if it was really necessary to include it but it just goes to show how important the pairing of Trip and T'Pol is to the future. (insert 'big smiley face' here).

T'Pol has yet to apologize to Trip for how she treated him. It does not appear to have occurred to her that an apology and a request for a second chance might work. Which does not surprise me. After all, logic (as T'Pol has concluded) would dictate that Seri is the right woman for Trip, but love is not logical.... and neither is Trip. If T'Pol realized this... she might be able to win him back!

Anyways, great entertaining writing Peter. Always a pleasure to read. Can't wait for the next chapter.

For a second I had an impression this was starting to became a parody. Why?
Chapters fifth and sixth were great. A real fresh air to the story. This one is in most part... well, poor.
Hurry with another chapter to put this story back on the right track. :-)

you know, i don't care--i'm gonna say it-- i really hate seri and she needs to step off! i think i would enjoy this so much more if that little sister who takes everything from you, (character) weren't there. god i'm just in misery for t'pol now. but your story other than seri, whom i officially hate, is great fun--loved silik i laughed out loud.

Rabidus, what do you hate about Seri so much?

Let's be honest - T'Pol did treat Trip as a thing, a toy for her pleasure and it finally came to a moment when he became fed up with this.

And there comes her sister which is everything T'Pol didn't want to or couldn't be for him. Witty, beautiful, compassionate, willing to try new ideas, thoughtful. There's really nothing to hate about her from Trip's perspective.

There's really no reason to hate Seri for what she does. She just met a man who embodies all the things she sees as desirable. She's attracted to him. That's no crime. And until now - she had no clue that the reason T'Pol was so hostile towards her - is because she's in love with the man.

It is time for T'Pol to think, to revaluate her decisions, to find out what SHE did wrong to lose Trip. Seri didn't take him from her. T'Pol carelessly let him go. And now she regrets it.
Now she finally understood it. There is only one thing left to do - tell him. No acting, no games, just honesty. It's the only thing he could want from her right now. And the only thing he doesn't expect.

The only hope T'Pol can now have is that Trip is so fond of Seri because in her he sees the T'Pol he desired. That she's just perfect for him, everything he ever wanted from a woman, but... she's not T'Pol.

You must be doing something right Peter... you're getting a wide range of comments!

Write hard.

Okay, okay, she deserved it. But Peter, PLEASE, stop torturing T-Pol (and us ;-)) ).

I enjoyed this chapter, Peter. The only thing that kind of nagged me was when Trip mistook T'Pol for Seri. I know you used it for dramatic effect. But realistically, If he didn't recognize her touch, he would most definitely recognize her voice. Seri and T'pol may be similar, but Trip has been intimate with T'Pol on several occasions.

The misidentification also implies that a deeper intimacy has occurred between Trip and Seri. It is obvious they have connected and like eachother a great deal, but for some reason it doesn't feel like they've made it that far.

Maybe I just don't want to think Trip could move on that fast and with T'Pol's sister to boot. Seems uncharacteristic of him.

Good reading though. Hurry up with the next one.

marc--i guess this one hits too close to home.just because someone is not obvious about their feelings does not mean that they don't feel them. i guess also that i consider the sister thing as like, the lowest blow ever. if she were my sister she should know how i "worked" she would sense that i liked him. (and not be so blatant because she knew i wouldn't be.) some people just need more time because they are insecure or whatever. that was still t'pols territory and seri just bust in--she's a fast mover, and that in my mind equates "vulcan hussy"

Well, as Peter wrote - Seri had no idea they were involved before! It's not like she's using Trip to get back at her sister.

And it's not like thay were hitched already or something - he's not T'Pol's property, for Pete's sake!

Seri and Trip just shared few meals together and some quality time, nothing THAT serious. Just two people who are fond of each other.

And T'Pol's feelings - whether they existed from the beginning but surfaced only lately or are recent developement - need to be clarified. Someone got hurt. Someone deserves apology.

I finally got caught up on this story - its great I am really enjoying it (although I'm trusting you WILL make everything ok in the end if you know what I mean!)
Come on, man---I know it's the holidays, but you're leavin' us hangin' here!!!
arg!