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Like a Phoenix from the Fire– Part 10

Author - Aquila
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Season 3.5 - Summer Fan Fiction Challenge

Like a Phoenix from the Fire – Part 10

Author: Aquila

Category of the plot summary from the list below – Plot #10

Rating: R
Genre: Angst

Disclaimer: All things Trek, even Enterprise – the prequel, are Paramount’s – my passion for Trip and T’Pol, well that’s mine.

A short summary statement:

Although there are spoilers this story assumes that the season three cliff-hanger never occurred. T'Pol discovers the damage done by the Trellium D can be reversed. She decides to go through with the treatment, knowing she may lose access to the emotions she has unleashed, and that she may have to suppress her new emotions permanently as she has to do with all her emotions. What happens to her relationship with Trip? How does this change her views of herself?


--

Part 10

The smell of new paint and carpeting assaulted T’Nessa’s olfactory senses when she stepped off the turbolift onto Columbia’s bridge. To hide her discomfort she closed her eyes, which caused the tears that had formed to protect her sensitive eye membrane to trickle down her cheek.


Adams nonplussed at the sight of a weeping Vulcan reacted instinctively to her distress, sweeping her off her feet into his arms and across the bridge to his ready room. The ensign at the helm gaped in surprise, while the jaws of the MACO on guard-duty flapped.


T’Nessa embarrassed by the reaction of her autonomic biological defence mechanism also reacted instinctively, burying her face in hollow made by the Captain’s collarbone.

Adams came to a halt in the middle of the ready room and become conscious that he had no idea how to extricate himself from the awkward social situation in which they found themselves. His confusion gave T’Nessa time to regain her composure.

“Perhaps, Captain,” she suggested with edible lips dangerously close to his jaw, “You should put me down?”

Adams almost compounded the uncomfortable moment by dropping her like a hot potato. However he smothered the impulse in the nick of time.

With T’Nessa was once again independently up right, he returned their attention to the purpose of her visit.

“I have reviewed your personnel file and qualifications,” he said reverting to formality, “Your skills as a linguist would be an asset. I would support your application to become Columbia’s Senior Linguistic Officer.”

Remembering his manners, Adams pulled out a chair and suggested she take a seat. He rested his backside on the edge of a cabinet to continue the discussion. T’Nessa followed the line of his body, bent slightly to accommodate the cabinet. His torso formed a wide vee from his shoulders to a narrow waist. His thighs were thick as a champion weight lifter’s should be. His dossier recorded that he won the cadet weightlifting championship three years in a row at Starfleet Academy. His biceps strained against the sleeves of his flight suit, additional evidence that he still kept in shape.

“Thank you, Captain,” she lifted her eyes to his face, which betrayed the fact that he had caught her cataloguing his physical assets. “But that other matter about which we must speak, before I ask the High Command to second me to your ship.”

“Ah, that…”

--

The home office was in the back bedroom that T’Pol believed might have lodged a servant when the house was first built. It had a small window high in the exterior wall overlooking an alley and the back entrance. With few distractions the room was perfect for a home office.

The paint shop clerk had tried to dissuade her when she chose Starfleet Issue as the office wall colour. Trip and she had spent three years of their lives working in a blue grey environment. T’Pol was adamant. However, she appeased the clerk by adding a touch of whimsy, a false ceiling in which hundreds of holes were drilled to insert small light sources that twinkled. Whenever T’Pol looked at the ceiling she felt as if she were in space again.

Whether she would ever return to space was a question that plagued her as she pottered about the large house. If she accepted retirement the obstacles erected by Starfleet and the VHC to her pairing with Trip would evaporate, however she would become a space widow, rarely seeing her mate in the flesh, and losing the ability to contribute to science for the foreseeable future.

The computer signalled the completion of a search. She scrolled through the list of retrieved sites, clicking on 5 Dvatai, roughly translated from the ancient Vulcan as 5 Tenets. Dvatai, she knew, predated the writings of Surak. They had evolved during the time of the ancients, when Vulcan was a pure matriarchy and males squabbled to earn the matronage of the most powerful females.

To most Vulcans the Dvatai were curiosities. Few knew that they were the foundation of Vulcan law and could still be invoked. T’Pol knew because T’Lynn had lived her life by them and expected her children and their children and subsequent generations to live by them too.

The first dvatai protected the rights of males with whom a female first consorted, no matter how informal the arrangement.

The second affirmed the right of females to end a relationship with a male at any time, as long as she provided for his welfare.

The third dvatai protected all progeny, providing for their welfare and assuring the rights of both biological parents.

The fourth dvatai gave the clan matriarch – the most senior female relation – the power of final arbiter when disagreements between females and males proved impossible to resolve.

The fifth dvatai confirmed that unions between females and males that were written in the matriarchal record took precedence over any other form of female/male union and that union was indissoluble.

T’Pol keyed in T’Lynn’s vid phone code.

-

Gerry Adams would not have been given command of the NX-02 if he had failed to show diplomatic skills during command training. He would be the first to admit however that his skills were untested. The recollection of that truth inspired his question.

“What you are proposing, did Starfleet put you up to it, as a test of my…judgment?” Adams waited.

“Starfleet had nothing to do with it,” she assured him, “It is the tradition of my clan. My grandmother encouraged me to make the request.” She hurried on when she saw the shock on his face. “You misunderstand, Captain.”

“Then why don’t you explain.” Gerry Adams silently promised never to involve himself in the rescue of Trip Tucker ever again.

“Are you aware of our tradition of bonding, Captain?” T’Nessa continued at his nod of confirmation, “Infrequently the arrangement is not successful. The choice of bondmate her parents made for Grandmother was unfortunate. As her reputation as an archaeologist grew instead of celebrating her successes he felt belittled by them and came to resent her. For T’Lynn life became intolerable.”

“You speak of her mate as if he were a stranger?” Adams wondered, “Did you never know your grandfather?”

“The male of whom I speak was not my grandfather.” T’Nessa noted the surprise on the handsome Captain’s face. “T’Pol is his granddaughter. I am the granddaughter of T’Lynn’s third consort.”

Adams understood, “As an archaeologist T’Lynn understood the significance of the dvatai and invoked them to rid herself of the abusive husband.”

“As she was still young and could expect recurrences of Pon Far,” continued T’Nessa, “She invoked her right to consort with males of her choosing. My mother was the consequence of one such union.”

Adams sat on his haunches beside T’Nessa’s chair so that he could look her in the eye. ”Your request is another consequence?”

“Yes, T’Lynn’s choice has affected all her progeny even to the third generation.” T’Nessa returned his gaze. “And it may affect your life too.”

--

The wife of Koval of Vulcan was displeased. Her husband had just informed her that they had been living a lie for the duration of their bond and that within the hour she was to meet the illustrious and reclusive T’Lynn. The situation was enough to disturb the equilibrium of Surak.

“Have I understood you correctly,” was delivered in a chilly blast that foretold of years sleeping in separate bedrooms. “While pledged to me you consorted with T’Pol, T’Lynn’s granddaughter?”

“We were pledged, our bonding was not yet a certainty.” The response did not appease his wife.

“What is that crude phrase human’s use? Yes, you were ‘hedging your bets’ while indulging your baser instincts.” One of his wife’s many assets was her astute intelligence, which at this particular moment he regretted.

--

T’Pol pushed abort. A glance at the chronometer informed her that she had a quarter of an hour left before T’Lynn and Trip had to leave for the reception.

The trials of the Expanse paled in comparison to the decision she had only a quarter of an hour to make.

--

The doorbell rang again. Trip remained at T’Lynn’s side. There were others who could answer the door. He was overwhelmed by the number of relatives the old lady commanded. Three of the four children she had with her bondmate had had three children of their own, the fourth, T’Pol’s father had not been as prolific. Liaisons with consorts had produced another half dozen children, all of whom had produced children of their own. Trip had lost count how many of the grandchildren had produced offspring.

T’Lynn’s small dwelling was filled to overflowing. What had become an impromptu family reunion had spilled out into the front yard.

“If this had been a Tucker reunion,” he whispered into T’Lynn’s ear, “It would be a lot louder, but about as many uncles, aunts and cousins would have showed up.”

T’Lynn put her hand on his, which rested on the arm of her chair, “Perhaps the time will come when the offspring of T’Lynn will gather with the offspring of Gladys to celebrate the arrival of the child of T’Pol and Trip, who would share their genes.”

Trip frowned, “T’Lynn, you understand don’t you that T’Pol and I want to dip into that gene pool but the odds are against us ever havin’ a child.”

T’Lynn squeezed his hand, “Does that mean you have given up without trying?”

Trip grinned, “No ma’am, we’ve been trying and I plan to keep on trying as often as T’Pol will let me.” Trip returned the squeeze. “She told me today that she and Phlox – he’s Enterprise’s doc – are starting to explore other ways to create a life other than the most pleasurable method.”

“I will ask some of my medical acquaintances to assist this Phlox.”

Trip had known her long enough to translate ask into demand. T’Lynn was as formidable as her reputation.

“I am Varak, the eldest son of T’Lynn,” a tall grey-haired male introduced himself.

“Pleased to meet you,” replied Trip rising to greet the man.

“T’Pol’s parents are off planet. They have asked me to represent them in this matter.”

He must take after his daddy thought Trip as he has none of his mama’s charm.

“T’Pol has spoken of you with,” he wanted to say affection, but thought better of it, “Respect.” For a moment Trip thought he saw pride in the fellow’s eyes.


T’Lynn did not hide her pride in her oldest son, “Varak was the first of my children to choose to live by the dvatai.”

Varak nodded his head in acknowledgement of his mother’s statement, “I was the first of your children to understand your anguish, Mother, as you tried to fulfill the wishes of your parents and the expectations of our people.”

In that odd way that happens when beings gather socially a hush had fallen over the room as Varak spoke so that all within earshot heard his statement and the question that followed.

“Do you understand that only death will break the commitment you make to my niece when Mother writes your name in the record of the matriarch?” Varak waited for Trip to answer. His kinsmen held their breath.

“I saw the name of your wife in that book, Uncle.” Trip boldly claimed kinship. “Why did you make such a commitment?”

Varak accepted the self-confidence the human’s question underscored. “I had experienced other females at the urging of my mother. When the time for bonding approached, I was certain of the qualities and talents that I desired in my mate. T’Glen embodied them. Choosing to share the rest of my life with her was logical.”

“Uncle, there is nothing logical about T’Pol and I,” Trip admitted, “I thought I knew the qualities and talents I desired in a mate. My previous relationships were based on them. Then I met T’Pol and discovered how wrong I was. Imagining the rest of my life without her is impossible.”

T’Pol heard every word. A young cousin had answered the vid phone when she rang just as Varka began to speak.

“Uncle,” she called out when Trip stopped speaking. Everyone in the room turned to look at the screen. “Commander Tucker is right. There is nothing logical about our pairing. My experience with Koval taught me what qualities and talents I do not want in a mate. Commander Tucker shares none of those. If he will have me, I wish to spend the remainder of our days together exploring his unique qualities.”

With her family as witnesses to the momentous occasion T’Lynn opened the record book on her lap writing the name of Charles Tucker III by that of her granddaughter T’Pol, binding them until death.

End of Part 10


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Half a dozen of you have made comments

love your story, please update soon!

Awww...

"If he will have me, I wish to spend the remainder of our days together exploring his unique qualities.”

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Now I'm intrigued . . . what exactly does T'Nessa intend to do with Adams? And she must have read up on Adams before Columbia arrived at Vulcan.

Excellent work! I love the complexities you've woven into this story! Where do T'Nessa and Adams fit in and, as Lolajl asked, what exactly does she intend to do with him? Besides have him sweep her off her feet. Someone's seen one too many knight in shining armor movies.

More soon, pretty please? With chocolate on top?

Excellent story, and T'Nessa/Adams make an interesting sub-plot. You've got me hooked!