Friends- Part 6

"FRIENDS AND LOVERS"
An "Enterprise" story

By Alison M. DOBELL

SUMMARY: "All out of options the Captain has to face some painful decisions."
Rated: R. Part 9 is NC-17
The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Enterprise' belong to Paramount. No infringement of copyright is intended.
Feedback to: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

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Part 6

"The Needs of the Many"

Captain Archer was feeling frustrated. It was almost ten hours since they had spoken to Kalcon and none of them had been able to come up with a viable alternative to giving the Ralcaddons what they wanted. Even though the crew did not understand the Commander's attachment to the Sanacrid they seemed willing to back whatever decision he made on the subject. The Captain did not have that luxury. He stood up and looked across at his Chief Engineer. "We need to talk."

Trip nodded. The Captain glanced across at T'Pol. "Sub-Commander, you have the bridge."

No one spoke as they left. Hoshi looked as if she wanted to cry. Travis wished he could think of something to cheer everybody up. Lt Reed said nothing. He looked at T'Pol and then both of them looked at the screen. The Ralcaddon pursuit ship still blocking their path. Patiently waiting for them to hand over the Sanacrid. Confident that they could keep the Enterprise and her crew there indefinitely. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"I'm sure the Captain and Commander will think of something." Said Travis.

The solemn eyes that stared back at him were unnerving. He looked down at his console and fell silent.

In the Captain's quarters Trip stood stiffly, trying hard not to show how he was feeling but the Captain had known him too long. "Okay, Trip. Spit it out."

"Spit what out, Cap'n?"

"I know that look."

He sighed. "This isn't gonna end well, Cap'n, you know that."

"I know no such thing. Aren't you always the one telling me to be more optimistic?"

He looked down at his hands. "Yeah, well maybe you were right this time."

"Trip, we have no option but to hand the Sanacrid over to them."

The Commander did not fly into the expected rage. The Captain's quiet words had penetrated but he was not saying anything that had not already occurred to his Chief Engineer and they both knew it. Trip took a deliberate deep breath. Slowly inhaling, holding it a moment or two, then very slowly exhaling again. His friend knew he was steeling himself for a painful decision and waited. "Okay, Cap'n. I'll do it on one condition."

Captain Archer frowned. "What's that?"

"If he goes, I go."

Shock made the Captain stare. Not quite able to grasp what he was being told. "You want to what?"

He was calm now. "Go with the Sanacrid."

The Captain's eyes blazed with fury. "You can't. You're the Chief Engineer!"

He nodded. "I know but there's somethin' you're not gettin'..."

He shook his head and interrupted, not wanting to hear it. "We are *not* having this conversation, Commander."

"You have to let me explain."

"No! I'm the Captain and the decision is mine."

Trip's lips compressed into a tight thin line. "Fine. You're the Captain. You just go ahead and consign 83 members of this crew to certain death. At least you get to go down with the ship."

His face reddened with anger. The Captain came so close to hitting him that it frightened him. He had to calm down so he turned away, taking in deep breaths, trying to steady the racing pulse that was hammering along with his heartbeat.

"Cap'n..."

"Don't ask me to let you do this, Trip." He pleaded softly, not able to turn back and face him just yet.

"Cap'n," Repeated Trip gently. "You know it makes sense."

After a few moments of silence the Captain turned back to face him, his eyes full of misery. Unshed tears in his eyes. "You're asking me to let you commit suicide, Trip."

"No. I'm asking you to be logical about this."

"Now you sound like T'Pol."

"I may not like Vulcans much but occasionally they do make sense."

"We'll find another way, Trip."

He shook his head. Knew it was not going to happen. "It's been ten hours, Cap'n. The Ralcaddons'll wait but they won't wait forever."

"You said they would never fire on the Enterprise while a Sanacrid is aboard, so what's the worry?"

"That's true, they won't. But that won't stop them boardin' us and believe me Cap'n, you don't want any of those sons of bitches aboard this vessel. Remember the state we were in when ya found us? Well we were the lucky ones. This crew wouldn't fare half so well and that's a fact."

* * * * *

Charles Tucker II was not a violent man. Not given to fits of rage or volatile behaviour but when he heard what Natalie had to say he blew a fuse. "I can't believe Trip said that!"

His wife tried to calm him down. Her gentle eyes looking at Natalie's pale and puffy face. Knew the girl had been crying. Distressing her further was bad for the girl and bad for the baby. Mrs Tucker folded gentle arms around her and rocked her as if she were one of her own. She spoke softly to her husband as she cradled the girl. "Charles, you have to calm down. You'll upset the baby."

"Upset the baby?" Nevertheless he was already coming down off his reactionary high. He took a breath and rejoined them, sitting at the table in the far corner of the lounge. Luckily it was pretty much deserted. He glumly watched as the lumbering transport and supply ship turned around and left the Enterprise behind. The gentle warp 1.8 hardly produced a thrum beneath his feet through the deck plates. He was upset. But then they all were. He looked at the girl. Sorry he had lost his temper. "What kind of trouble are they facing, Natalie?"

She eased herself out of Mrs Tucker's arms and wiped the tears from her face. "Some alien vessel or other is threatening them."

"Did Trip say why?"

"No, just that if we stayed it would be like tying his hands behind his back. He can't fight like that."

Mr Tucker nodded. Sighed and held back tears of his own. He trusted his son. That was the top and bottom of it. But leaving now felt wrong. Like he was somehow abandoning him even though he knew he was simply doing his duty. And he had liked the cut of Captain Archer. Was pleased to finally meet his son's friend in the flesh after nearly nine years of hearsay. He put his face in his hands. What a mess. He looked up and gave Natalie a watery smile. "I'm sorry, Natalie."

She nodded. "Perhaps it's just fate?"

Her voice sounded small and lost. Her eyes large liquid pools of sadness. Worry for Trip etching dark circles around her eyes and making her heart heavy. "What do you think will happen, Mr Tucker?"

"I don't know but I can tell you this. The crew of the Enterprise won't give up without one hell of a fight."

Mrs Tucker frowned at him but he would not relent. He could not even be angry at Captain Fulcram. The Wellington was not armed, it was just a transport and supply vessel. If they stayed they would simply give the crew of the Enterprise one more thing to defend. More to worry about. His son had been right. Natalie was right. But God it hurt to feel so damn helpless. "When this is over, Natalie, we'll come back."

She shook her head surprising him. "No. I shouldn't have come. I had no right to do this to Trip."

"He does love you, Natalie. Always has." Said Mrs Tucker softly.

Natalie nodded, tears of love shining in her eyes. Making her sad face glow. "I know but he's not in love with me. He's like my brother and best friend all rolled into one. I know he would love me, look after me. Care for the baby after I'm gone but it wouldn't be fair."

"You don't know what you're saying."

It was suddenly so clear to her. Strength pouring slowly through her with the rightness of it all. "Yes, I do Mrs Tucker. I love him so much. Too much to do this to him. To make him pay for something he never did while the guilty is free to hurt someone else."

For a moment Trip's parents held their breath. At last Mr Tucker spoke, his voice quiet but every word clear as a bell. "What're you saying, Natalie?"

"That it's time I stood on my own two feet. What am I afraid of anyway? I know I'm dying. My child will grow up without a mother. Why? Because of one man."

Stunned they stared at her. Realisation struck Mr Tucker. "You know who raped you, don't you Natalie?" He said softly.

Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Yes, I do."

Mrs Tucker patted her arm, her kind eyes anxious. Mr Tucker pulled his chair closer. "Who was it? Can you tell me his name?"

"It was Bobby Leyton."

Mrs Tucker covered her mouth as she gasped in shock. Mr Tucker watched her face closely. Bobby Leyton was the son of a very good friend of his. A pillar of the community. This was a serious charge. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, hon, but do you have any proof that it was him?"

She nodded and put her hands over her stomach. Mr and Mrs Tucker exchanged a look. Mr Tucker took another breath. "That's not exactly what I was thinking of."

"DNA testing will confirm who the father is." Said Natalie carefully.

They stared at her. Natalie had always been a bit on the timid side. Where had she got this sudden strength from? Mr Tucker cocked his head slightly, mind racing with possibilities. "Would you be willing to make a statement to the Police, go to court?"

She nodded.

"There'd be hospital tests..." He warned.

Mrs Tucker frowned at her husband but he was not looking at her. If Natalie was serious about the identity of the rapist and her willingness to support a prosecution they had better be damn sure that she would stick to her word and go through with it. It was bad enough that the poor girl was dying without having her name and reputation dragged in the mud for nothing. Personally he would like to spare her all that but a greater part of him was coming to the fore with the need to get justice for her. And if she became too weak to fight he swore he would move heaven and earth to finish the fight for her. Mrs Tucker's voice was gentle, her eyes steady and calm. "Are you sure you want to do this, Natalie? Once the Police get involved you'll find yourself on a rollercoaster with only one way off."

Impossibly to their way of thinking, Natalie gifted them with a bright if watery smile. "Albert Einstein once said 'The world is a dangerous place to live in not just because of those who do evil but also because of those who stand by and look on'. I'm fed up Mrs Tucker of standing by and looking on."

* * * * *

He did not want to do it. Could not bear the thought that his friend was right. Captain Archer stared round the bridge with red rimmed eyes. None of them had enjoyed a wink of sleep since this whole nightmare had blown up their faces. Now the Ralcaddon had issued an ultimatum. They had less than an hour to turn over the Sanacrid or be boarded. Trip knew what that meant. So did Malcolm, Dr Phlox and T'Pol. There were tears in his eyes as he turned his head and nodded without speaking to Commander Tucker. Trip cleared his throat gently. "With your permission Cap'n, I'd like to have a word with Sub-Commander T'Pol."

Captain Archer nodded. Too choked to speak. Everybody was equally stunned. Trip looked at T'Pol and stepped towards the situation room. She followed with back stiff, arms clasped behind her, eyes staring straight ahead. Hoshi Sato was openly crying, not understanding how she could be so calm. The door shut behind them.

Inside the situation room T'Pol looked at Commander Tucker, only her eyes showing how deeply distraught she was. He stepped up close so that he could cradle one hand against her cheek, his look so gentle. So full of understanding and love for her. She saw his fear but it was overshadowed by his sense of duty, his commitment to the crew and to her. The desire to keep them safe above all things.

"It is illogical for you to go. They want the Sanacrid, Trip, not you. You do not have to do this."

"It's not that easy, T'Pol, and you know it. I'm the Sanacrid's host. You know what that means."

"Explain it to me. Tell me why you have to do this when you are needed here. With us." *With me* the unspoken words echoed in his mind. It hurt to be joined. Hurt more to be apart.

The Vulcan suddenly glared at the Sanacrid. Trip faltered, wincing with a brief arc of pain. He closed his eyes a second. Dizzy. T'Pol stared hard at the little creature on his shoulder. *Do not attempt to touch my mind again*.

Trip opened his eyes, swallowed carefully but did not take his hand away from her face. He needed her to understand. To let him go. "The Sanacrid made a very special connection to me, T'Pol. A link. A bonding that fused our thoughts together. You know that and you're the only one who understands. I told the Cap'n how intense it was, explained that was why I had given the Sanacrid to the doctor when we got back to Enterprise. It's why I hadn't been near him for weeks since though I promised to visit. If I had visited the link would have gotten stronger and stronger until the bond would not have allowed me to spend any time away from him. In short T'Pol, I would have lost my freedom to have any independence of my own." He paused. His next words barely a whisper. "I had to know my thoughts were my own."

T'Pol looked alarmed but said nothing. Such a cornucopia of emotions in her eyes. She knew he was not finished.

"Whatever happens to the Sanacrid T'Pol, I *feel* it."

"Feel?"

"Yeah, feel. It's not just telepathy but empathy. All my emotions and senses are intricately bound up with him now. So intertwined it’s like sharin' the same nervous system. There's a whole ton of stuff that is still confusin' but this is somethin' I have to do, and I need to know I can count on you to support me even though I probably have no right to ask."

Her eyes flicked to the small creature sitting on his right shoulder, plumed tail curled gently around the Commander's neck. Large liquid eyes looking into hers with such intelligence and sadness. "Are you saying it would be dangerous for you to be parted from the creature?"

The Commander nodded, relieved that she understood.

T'Pol frowned. "You must not go."

He shook his head. "This isn't a choice any more, T'Pol. I have to go because he has to go. We both know it and accept it."

Her eyes glittered and shone with emotion. It hurt him to see her pain. "I do not accept it."

Trip leaned in close and whispered gently, trying to soothe the impact of his words. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

He was quoting Surak. Not in English but in Vulcan. The effect was to release the tears she was holding back, her body crying out for him, her soul torn and in anguish at the impending loss. He put his arms around her and held her to him whispering words of love and trying to comfort her. Then all too soon he was drawing away. He so badly wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to love her but that luxury was no longer theirs. He wiped the tears from her face and composed himself to say goodbye to the others. She did not want him to go but knew with sickening certainty that she had no words left that could make him stay.

The silence on the bridge was electric. As if the very air were charged with something unstable and volatile. The Commander's voice was soft, his intonation gentle, but his words firm with commitment. The Captain knew he believed what he was saying. That it was the only way for any of them to get out of this alive. The cost though was too high and not just for him. He could see it on all their faces. They stood without speaking for several minutes. Dr Phlox arrived on the bridge and stood just inside the door. Trip looked at all the familiar faces then turned back to face his Captain. Jonathan Archer. Finest friend a man could ever have.

"You know I have to do this, Cap'n. Draggin' it out won't change the outcome."

Lt Reed had been silent, wrestling with emotions that so nearly overwhelmed him. He could not remain silent any longer. "You should have let me kill it when I had the chance. Let me do it now!"

Trip's voice was mild. No anger in his tone. "And accomplish what, Malcolm? The presence of the Sanacrid is the only thing standing between Enterprise and oblivion."

The armoury officer could feel his eyes getting watery and beginning to sting. He could not see Trip clearly through his rapidly blurring vision. "Why do you always have to try to be the bloody hero?"

No one laughed. Unexpectedly Dr Phlox spoke up. "I do believe the Commander is correct in his assessment, Captain."

The Captain glared at him but the doctor had not finished. He took a couple of steps towards the Captain. "The Commander must go but that does not mean he has to go alone."

"Now wait a minute, doc, this isn't any site-seein' tour. The fewer of us that go, the more damage limitation. Y'know that."

"We don't want any more bloodly heroics, do we?" Muttered Lt Reed in the background. The misery in his voice robbed the words of any sting.

"You talk of damage limitation, Commander. To whom?" The doctor opened his arms to include the rest of the bridge crew. "To the crew of the Enterprise? To the Sanacrid? To you?"

Trip froze. The Captain looked baffled. Just what the hell was going on? "If there's something you have to tell me, Trip, now would be a good time."

The doctor looked sad but composed. "Captain. Four of us went down to the Ralcaddon planet. Five of us returned."

He frowned. "I know that, Doctor, but that was months ago. What are you saying?"

"I am saying that Commander Tucker should not do this alone. We need to go with him."

Now he was sure he had entered the Twilight Zone. Had Dr Phlox said what he thought he had said? "I'm afraid you're gonna have to explain that to me."

Trip was getting agitated. "No, Cap'n, don't listen to him. He's not thinkin' rationally."

Unperturbed the doctor continued. "Oh, but I am Captain. I am the only one who is."

Captain Archer stared at him in complete bewilderment. His head was beginning to ache. Just then Lt Reed sneezed. Sub-Commander T'Pol moved to stand next to Trip, her hand closing on his. Not a word passing between them. Lt Reed straightened at his console.

"I do believe," Said the doctor with maddening calm. "That we have just run out of time."

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