Obedient Subversion

Obedient Subversion

By Aquila

Rating: R
Genre: Romance
Summary: T’Pol’s back story and its effect on her relationship with Trip
Disclaimer: Don’t own much of anything these days, especially anything Trek.

==

It was an idiosyncrasy of the Enterprise’s Chief Engineer that the lighting levels in the engine room were kept at mid-day around the clock. When T’Pol was new to the ship and trying to assert her authority as second-in-command she ordered the Commander to follow Starfleet protocols and lower the lighting during the designated, but artificial, night hours. That was her first encounter with what Captain Archer referred to as “Commander Tucker’s talent for obedient subversion.”

Tucker elegantly followed her order, why ignoring it the same time, recalled T’Pol as she watched from the shadows. The Commander asked Rostov to write a program that dimmed one light each night to Starfleet specifications. Rostov with Tucker’s approval added an element of finesse to the process. The program he wrote instructed the computer to choose randomly which light was dimmed.

The ‘light-dimming” pool – also known as the Rostov Random Light Theory or the 2RLT for short – did not remain the domain of engineering for very long. Soon every department wagered. Once, during the second light-hearted year of their mission, the jackpot reached 150 credits. Hoshi, the winner, used her winnings to treat the entire crew to sundaes after movie night.

Movie night had been suspended when Enterprise’s mission changed, yet the 2RLT continued. T’Pol aware that today’s jackpot was the highest since Hoshi’s big win had placed a 2-credit wager that the light above the warp control panel would dim tonight.

Trip, oblivious to her presence, was working on a pet project: building Crewman Nielsen’s confidence. “Have you considered what would happen if an unexpected power surge occurred?”

Nielsen’s face fell. “No sir, I did not.” She watched the Commander’s face for the disappointment she knew her admission warranted.

“Give it some thought,” was accompanied by a smile that had been known to pucker the breasts of many female and a few male crewmembers. “When you have your data adjusted, we’ll present your up-grade suggestion to the Captain.”

Nielsen gulped, “We, sir?”

“You bet,” he said patting her on the shoulder, “You have what appears to be a first rate idea here, Crewman. If the power surge data supports it.”

“Yes, sir,” she pulled herself to attention, her mind already beginning to consider how best to approach the problem.

“The Captain will want to congratulate you himself,” he assured her, but she was no longer listening.

T’Pol stepped out of the shadows. Trip caught a flash of red catsuit from the corner of his eye. He turned his attention from Nielsen to the Vulcan, stepping away from the crewman toward T’Pol.

In a voice meant only for him she said, “She does not know how fortunate she is to serve under you.”

“Flattery won’t get you any closer to winnin’ that pot, Subcommander.”

The smile that followed the jibe was one with which his crew was unfamiliar, but was well-known to the First Officer. Trip could feel the change and chided his facial muscles for betraying him. The deepening friendship between T’Pol and him was not for speculation in engineering or anywhere else for that matter.

An eruption of shouting distracted them. The senior officers watched as the engineering night shift jumped and pranced about. Many of them pointed at a light above the catwalk at the aft end which shone dimly in comparison to its neighbours.

“Told ya,” Trip winked, “Butterin’ me up wouldn’t work.”

The Commander offered the First Officer his arm as a consolation prize. To his immense surprise she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. His elbow of its own volition drew in close to his body and his left hand reached across his torso to rest lightly on top of hers. They left engineering arm in arm, accompanied by silence like a following sea.

==

“Will you come in?”

She did not release his arm when they came to a halt before the door to her quarters. He continued to hold his elbow close to his side, although he moved his left hand to tilt her chin up, so that she looked him directly in the eye.

“Not tonight, thank you.” She read concern in his face. “You are not completely recovered from the effects of the Trellium-D and Raijin’s mind invasion.”

She admitted the truth of his observation silently, bowing her head slightly. His finger followed the line of her jaw as she moved. His touch was light, like a gentle caress.

He bowed his head so that his mouth was close to a pointed ear. “Don’t get me wrong, T’Pol. There is nothing more that I would enjoy doin’ tonight than spend it with you, explorin’ postures, sharin’ thoughts and touchin’.”

Possibilities and caution flew back and forth between them.

The tip of his nose caressed her cheekbone for one brief moment.

“Meet me for breakfast tomorrow mornin’?” When he stepped back to give her room to turn him down, she released his arm. He added one word to his request, “Early.”

“Would 06:00 be satisfactory?”

“Very.”

==

The description ‘obedient subversion’ played over and over again in her mind, ripping apart the calm she had captured through meditation. T’Pol tried to identify the reason for her fixation. Archer had used it only that once. That she remembered was not surprising. Her ability to recall arcane and disparate knowledge and memories was normal for a mind as disciplined as hers.

In desperation, she assumed the meditation posture and let the words repeat and repeat until they lost their meaning, morphing into an om-like sound. Her breathing slowed as her heart rate dropped. The universe shrank. She was aware only of the small blank screen of her eyelids on which her subconscious projected images, long suppressed.

==

Trip could not sleep. The crook of his right arm tingled still from her touch. His nose was filled with the scent of her. His emotions swung from certainty to absurdity with each beat of his heart. Their friendship had become the one positive aspect (albeit precarious and fragile) of their mission in the Delphic Expanse. The realization that their new intimacy was what kept his compassion alive came like a blow to the back of the knee, toppling his carefully constructed wall of anger. Alone in his quarters he was surrounded by emotional rubble and it terrified him.

==

A blanket of fog drifted in from the bay. For T’Pol it was a fond memory, standing on Fisherman’s Wharf and watching the fog roll in. She had met him there, on the Wharf in a queue of tourists waiting for passage to Alcatraz.

She had been trying to ignore the stares of curious humans from small town America, the ones who had never seen a Vulcan at close range before. The words of Soval drifted with the fog.

“You can take a virtual tour of Alcatraz at your desk.” He would have sighed with exasperation if he had not been a Vulcan. “Why do you insist on leaving the compound? They will stare and ask impertinent questions. Stay here, T’Pol.”

She had countered with, “I am your resident social scientist. It is appropriate that I conduct my studies of humans amongst them. Qualitative study is a time honoured tradition in Human and Vulcan social sciences.”

Soval’s face dissolved, supplanted by a close up of Daniel’s face. Her hand twitched now as it had then to reach out and stroke the stubbled cheek. He had no inhibitions.

He offered his hand in greeting, saying, “My name is Daniel. My friends call me, Dan. This is my first visit to San Francisco.”

T’Pol took his hand, “I am T’Pol.”

Daniel pumped her hand vigorously. “Pleased to meet you.”

==

“Son of a bitch.” Trip leaned on the sink in the head, staring at his reflection in the mirror. “The second biggest mistake of your life would be to act upon your feelings for T’Pol.”

He wagged a finger at the mirror. “For fourteen years you have maintained professional relationships with female crew members. Don’t change course now, buddy.”

He set his jaw, lathered his face and began to shave, satisfied that he had sidestepped a landmine.

==

Vignettes flashed across the screen in her mind: Dan and she riding a cable car; attending the opera; visiting the art gallery. They rode bicycles through Golden Gate Park. Her heart skipped a beat when the weekend they spent in wine country north of the city cycled through. They had shared their first kiss in a vineyard glowing with late autumn sunlight. They had shared a room, but not a bed that weekend.

Her womb contracted as she remembered the first time they made love in a B&B with a view of the ocean near Carmel. They never opened the curtains, spending the entire weekend in bed learning to pleasure each other.

It was Daniel who nurtured her interest in Jazz, taking her to small clubs, introducing her to local musicians, who were eager to share their love of the genre with a neophyte. In the end it was Daniel who betrayed her.

==

Trip inspected himself one last time. No nicks on his face. The only scent was that of the soap he used to wash himself. His clothes were freshly laundered. His hair neatly combed, but damp from the shower. His looked at his hands. The nails were clean. He dithered over which shirt to wear: The tight T that showed his muscular chest to advantage or the loose Rugby shirt the colour of his eyes? He recalled that when he had worn the T in the past she had moved into his social space very quickly. He chose the T.

He looked at the time registering on his computer screen: three in the morning. Sensible Trip began to scream inside his head. You idiot, I told you not to act on your feelings. Do not go to her. As sensible Trip battled with his impulsive alter ego, Nielsen hailed him.

“You said I could ask for you help, sir.”

End of Part One

Continue to Part 2

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Four of you have made comments

Tell us more! Don't just leave us hanging like this! Very well done...

Great so far, I love your stories, cant wait for the next installment.

Love this, it is interesting to get peeks into both Trip and T'Pol's thoughts as they struggle with their emotions and the gravitational pull drawing them inexorably closer to each other. Can't wait to see what happens next. Ali D :~)

Oh, oh, new Aquila-fic!!!!! I can´t wait for the next part! I adore your fics!