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Beta Waves - Pt 2Beta Waves
Rating: PG – 13 == Part 2 A wash of red in the sky overhead foreshadowed the coming dawn and the return of his Xindi trackers. Survival was paramount. That thought pole-axed him. Had he been standing he would have toppled from the impact. He was certain Sim had wanted to live. Trip began another cycle of controlled breathing to contain his roiling emotions. When sufficient control returned, he gently shook off the camouflaging debris and rose into a crouch. He surveyed his surroundings. Slowly, a drop at a time, he released their combined desire for survival. His body temperature rose, loosening his stiff and sore muscles. His heart rate increased pumping oxygenated blood to his limbs in preparation for flight. When he was certain of the direction he must take to avoid the enemy, he unleashed the remaining emotion. Maintaining the crouched position, he scuttled across the glade into the undergrowth, dodging deadfall and anthills. Head down, torso parallel to the ground, arms pumping, strides lengthening he travelled on, one ear listening for the telltale clack, click and crackle of the Insectoids. == A belt of asteroids surrounded the planet on which the engineer was stranded. T’Pol began a stationary orbit around the planet that coincided with the rotation of the belt. If the Xindi battle cruiser returned, she wanted the small shuttlepod overlooked amongst the astral rubble. She needed to think. == The sun rested on the horizon casting long shadows, yet providing light enough to speed his passage. Trip made a wide circle around the spot where he had lost his weapon. Experience had taught him not to underestimate the Insects. They might look like mindless bugs, but they were wily and seasoned fighters, ruthless and prepared to squash him with the same nonchalance he displayed stepping on roaches in the Everglades. Survival. Sim had striven to survive yet in the end sacrificed himself for the good of the crew and the mission. Trip was trying to survive after having risked his life for the same reasons. His mind overflowed with questions. Had they managed to return the wounded T’Pol to Enterprise? Had the two pods escaped undamaged from the planets atmosphere? Would he survive long enough to find out? He took refuge in a copse of trees in response to an accumulation of emotion that he knew would incapacitate him. He began a cycle of breathing, living in the present, denying the past, disregarding the future. == “The Trellium-D is in place, sir.” Reed stood stiffly at attention, making a sign of respect seem somehow disrespectful, which silently amused his Captain. “Travis, Warp 5. Follow that Xindi ion trail.” Archer settled into the command chair. The lieutenant returned to the tactical station, but another order diverted him. “See to the modifications of T’Pol’s quarters personally, Mr. Reed.” “Aye, aye, sir,” was followed by a smart about-face and a view of his rear entering the lift to the lower decks. == T’Pol disabled the auto-record function in the pod’s security system. She doused the cabin lights and reduced life support to minimum. She wrapped herself in an emergency blanket to retain her body heat. She curled into a foetal position on the deck. Then and only then did she succumb. Sobs racked her body. Tears pooled on the deck. Green blood trickled from her lip, where she had bitten it in anguish. She rocked back and forth, keening in misery. She had not indulged in such a forthright display of emotion since she was a child. Her father had countered her tantrum with a quotation from Surak: “Wide experience increases wisdom, provided experience is not sought solely for the stimulation of sensation.” The sibilance hissed through her subconscious, like escaping steam. == The sun striated the forest floor. Where the bars of light fell, the undergrowth dazzled his eyes. He squeezed them shut to find a corona of light burnt onto his eyelids. He lowered himself to the ground, taking refuge under a man-sized fern, which obscured him from the view of any passing creature. He crossed his legs, straightened his back and began to cycle through his breathing. When he had lowered his heart rate and his coursing blood no longer deafened, he considered the first haunting question: Had they managed to return the wounded T’Pol to Enterprise? His worry and concern for her health and safety was his alone, the question unanswerable. He released it to float on the breeze that rustled the palm-shaped leaves over head. The second question that plagued him: Had the two pods escaped undamaged from the planets atmosphere? – was equally unanswerable. He let it go and the anguish it caused. Would he survive long enough to find out? He tossed that question away like trash. He was alive now that was all that mattered. What caused, then, the boulder of emotion that slowed him down like an anchor on a bayou pirogue? == Purged of the unmanageable emotions that had accrued during their journey through the Expanse, T’Pol meditated, emptying her mind of contradiction and compulsion. She sat cross-legged, spine straight, eyes closed. The blanket spread across her lap. Her hands resting palm up on her knees. == Porthos sat on Archer’s lap as his master idly stroked his ears. The chirp at the door announced Lt. Reed’s arrival. “Enter.” Malcolm stepped across the threshold, “The modifications are complete, sir.” “Has Dr. Phlox run the tests?” Porthos jumped down as Archer stood. “Yes, Captain.” Reed’s spine softened. He had good news to tell. “He declared that her quarters could be used as a second decon chamber. No contaminants could enter or escape. She will be safe there from the effects of the Trellium-D, yet able to communicate with and contribute to command.” “Excellent. And you have applied the Trellium in a manner that will allow us to remove it and replace it at will?” Archer’s smiled lacked warmth at the lieutenant’s nod. “Dismissed.” Reed lingered. “Is there something else, Mr. Reed?” Archer stopped pacing. “Asking me to reconfigure her quarters?” he paused, “Does that mean you expect T’Pol to return?” “Yes, Mr. Reed.” Archer placed a hand on the lieutenant’s shoulder. “What I do not know is whether she will return with Trip alive or in a body bag?” == T’Pol used meditation to strip away inessentials. In the theta state suppressed or unrecognised truths would appear full blown. The certainty that accompanied them was like an elixir, on which she had come to depend. The first to bloom was the fact that the mental discipline so highly valued by her people hindered her survival in the Expanse. She must adapt or perish. She held the second reverentially, turning it about in her mind like the precious thing it was. Commander Tucker was an essential ingredient in the adaptation process. That knowledge was Sim’s parting gift to her that she was only know willing to acknowledge. She floated toward full consciousness, gathering determination on her way. She would rescue the irreverent, self-sacrificing fool and change his life forever as he had hers. == Tentatively he poked at the mass of emotion like a child at a balloon. T’Pol was at the centre of it. He tried separating the portion that was his from Sim’s. He could not find the point where his feelings ended and Sim’s began. They were one and the same. The power and depth of their feelings for her scared him. He began another breathing cycle. Mooning about T’Pol is not going to get me out of this pickle he thought when the feelings were once again contained. What human male in his right mind would want a female of any species who only wanted sex every seven years? We’re idiots, Sim. You at least had the excuse of inexperience. I, on the other hand am, a man of the universe with a healthy libido. Forget it. We’ll lock those feelings up and throw away the key. Now let’s squash those Insects into oblivion! I got a lot of living yet to do. Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS! Half a dozen of you have made commentsGreat read so far. I like Trip's thoughts about the seven year thing. I expect that T'Pol might surprise him in that department..... I hope anyway. Do I see an NC-17 rating approaching for one of your chapters. I hope so. I'm quite enjoying this. You certainly like to tease, revealing a bit of this, hinting at other things...but creating an intriguing story along the way. Looking forward to the next section! Im really enjoying this so far. You have really gotten into the minds of Tpol and Trip. But what about Archer, he doesn't seem too bothered that both his second and third in command are in mortal danger!! I think I'm hooked on this story series. I'm not to happy with Jon right now but that may change. I love Phlox, small doses are just right even if he isn't speaking. *snicker* Trip's healthy libido! Great story so far! "She would rescue the irreverent, self-sacrificing fool and change his life forever as he had hers." Oh, yes please!!! Excellent story! |