Pathways - Part 4

TRIP/T’POLERS MU FANFIC CHALLENGE

Pathways

By Energy4TripnT’Pol

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: ~ an episode of “Star Trek: Enterprise”: $ on Paramount’s budget. Getting Trip and T’Pol together: priceless for us desperate fanfic writers. So no, I’m not making money and Paramount owns the series and all the characters involved. ~
Genre: Of course romance, slight angst, some mystery, just a hint of everything else . . .
Summary: When Enterprise comes upon a “mirror” Enterprise, they keep tabs on them from afar and T’Pol is sent for recon. However, taking her counterpart’s place makes her learn a lesson about the man in love with her. Meanwhile, Trip wonders why he is feeling telepathic in regards to T’Pol.
Spoilers: Includes a few things I’ve heard about “Through a Mirror, Darkly”, a little of “The Aenar”, “Affliction”, and “Bound”
Archiving: No archiving, please.

Author’s Note: When I wrote this, I was under the impression that “Bound” was airing after the Mirror Universe arc episodes. Forgive me for not having the details right, and do note I have hinted some “bond” issues into the story. So in this part, Trip can’t see in T’Pol’s mind (or however we’ve decided it works). Sorry!

* * *

Part Four (Chapters 16-20)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Trip sighed as he looked at a screen in Engineering. Next to him, T’Pol did not even move as she attended to her work. He couldn’t stand it; standing this close to her was about to make him go crazy in the light of the information that had been revealed earlier. He turned away from the computer interface as he scanned the crowd. “Hess.”

“Sir?”

He steered her away to another console. “I’m havin’ a bit of trouble tryin’ to figure out somethin’. To seal the anomaly, we have to fire up the deflector, but T’Pol and I are workin’ on a backup plan. Just in case we have to divert power from the engines—“

“—Which would cause the warp coils to fluctuate, which would render our current appearance literally in the past tense,” Hess quickly filled in.

Trip nodded at her. “When Commander T’Pol and I get this deal with the warp coils fixed, I need you to have a way to increase our power so we can stay at 8000 kilometers from the anomaly. How quick can you have something rigged?”

Hess shrugged. “Roughly half an hour. Maybe more.”

“All right. We should be done by then.”

Hess smiled and turned to her work. “By the way, welcome back. Kelby was starting to be a pain in the butt.”

Trip grinned and walked back to where T’Pol was standing. When he got within earshot, she said, “I believe I’ve found a way to increase the effect of the warp coils so that if need be, our camouflage won’t be affected if we need to divert power.”

Trip nodded, glancing over the screen. “And just in case, I’ve got Hess working on another plan so our position in comparison to the anomaly isn’t affected when we close it.”

T’Pol turned in place and looked at him. Quietly, she suggested, “Perhaps we should notify the captain that we have a plan and tell him how long it will take to complete the modifications.”

Trip nodded and pressed the nearest comm button. “Tucker to the Bridge.”

Archer responded immediately; apparently, he had been waiting apprehensively for this call. “Go ahead, Trip.”

Trip glanced sideways at T’Pol as he spoke. “We have a plan. T’Pol has figured out a way to keep the warp coils from going offline. Hess is working on a plan to increase our power flow to the deflector so we maintain 8000 kilometers from the anomaly horizon.”

“When will you be done?”

Trip glanced sideways at T’Pol and kept silent. She perked her head up. “In a half hour, according to my estimates.”

“Sounds good. We’ll be waiting.”

Trip took the initiative. “Tucker out.”

He and T’Pol glanced back at the console. If this went off without a hitch, it would all be over inside of an hour. Knowing he was going to talk to T’Pol again soon and continue the conversation from the turbolift only made him want to work harder. But being aware of the other personnel around Engineering and her preference for privacy, he threw all he had into work.

* * *

Trip put all he had into disposing of a weapon. The weapon in question, a phase pistol, was missing from a weapons locker onboard Enterprise. Malcolm Reed would likely shoot him with it and use a few other devices as well if it was found within his processions. Getting rid of it was the only option if he wished to live.

And for his wife and unborn child’s sakes, he did.

The weapon was hidden at the present in his jacket pocket, a safe place because of the billowy appearance. As long as no one literally ran into him or frisked him, he figured he was safe. He was walking casually around the corridors, and eventually he found himself by an airlock. The last time that Reed had pushed someone out, the controls had jammed up. In reality, the computer was receiving commands from two locations: Malcolm at the airlock, and Trip down in Engineering, attempting to save that crewman’s life.

Malcolm had won out and now, Trip was using it for an excuse to dispose of his weapon. He knelt down by the controls, gently took off the bulkhead, and just suddenly felt that someone else was there.

He glanced upwards. Hoshi Sato surprised him by wearing a full-length pair of pants. “Commander. Do you have a minute?”

He turned back to the bulkhead. “Yeah. Just now gettin’ around to fixin’ this. What’s up, Hoshi?”

She knelt down next to him. “Honestly, sir, I’m a little worried about the captain.”

“Is he missing Porthos again?” Trip asked.

Hoshi slightly smiled and shrugged. “Something like that. Actually, Jon’s been feeling like he’s lost. If you get my drift.”

“Kinda. What’ is the cynical accusation gettin’ ‘round to him again?”

“I just think he would appreciate having one of his friends to talk to.”

Trip smiled, chuckled, and said, “Just keep in mind, Hoshi, that the last time I went to talk to him, we got drunk and shaved off Malcolm’s goatee.”

“Which many of the Bridge crew thank you for,” Hoshi said, seeming thankful. “But I think the captain would appreciate having a friend. One of his honest friends, like you.”

Trip glanced at her. “Thanks, Hoshi. I’ll go see him later. He in his quarters?”

“Where else would he be?” Hoshi said as she stood up and walked away.

Trip watched her to make sure she rounded the corner away from him. He packed his tools back up; he made sure no one else was coming, and then opened the hatch on the interior of the airlock. He tossed the phase pistol in, closed the door, and programmed the computer so it wouldn’t alert the Bridge stations. One of the things he enjoyed about being chief engineer was that he could do stuff like that and get away with it.

He smiled. At least he knew this was one thing that he was gonna get away with from Malcolm’s standpoint. He opened the outer airlock, overriding the decompression protocols, and the phase pistol froze over as did any physical evidence.

He picked up his tool box, walked away from the airlock towards Engineering, and he had the oddest smile on his face. Oh, well, he thought. One less thing to be killed for.

* * *

Hoshi Sato approached her quarters with a guarded expression. After leaving the airlock where Commander Tucker was repairing the controls, she had information that could affect her future.

She pressed the key pad by her door and went inside. She took off the overcoat that she was wearing, held it as she walked to the closet the hang it up, and thought over her life during the past four years.

Captain Archer had asked her to come on after the Klingon Klaang crashed on Earth. Back then, she was eager to learn new languages, but one evening after they left Quo’noS, Archer had shown up outside her quarters. In the hour that followed, he had suggested – in a none too subtle way – that he wanted to make an exception to the no-fraternization rule onboard the ship.

Hoshi ended up being known in private circles around Starfleet as a “captain’s woman.” Inwardly, she thought the term was a little dirty, but proper enough. It inspired fear on the part of a few people she had known in Brazil. And it had changed who she was. She didn’t even know the person in the mirror anymore.

For one brief moment, she glanced in the mirror and sighed. She missed being the innocent young woman that she had been when Archer first asked her to come onboard. Now, she looked sleazy and Hoshi doubted her father would even recognize her. At the moment, innocent was the last word anyone would have used to describe her, and she wasn’t by a long shot.

She moved her hand to open her closet and gasped. Inside, a dark figure made a motion to come into the common area of her quarters. He took her coat from her and hung it inside. “Miss Sato.”

She groaned inwardly; if he had heard she would have been dead. “Lieutenant Reed.”

Malcolm Reed smiled slyly and glanced at Hoshi’s pants – or her legs, she decided the longer that she thought about it. “You have something to tell me?”

As much as she decided she would regret it later, she nodded and began her telling of her work as a double agent.

* * *

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Everyone on the Bridge was waiting on Tucker and T’Pol to come up from below decks and report on their project. Archer had gone to his ready room; he seemed to be under the impression that they would call on their way up. And he was likely right.

Malcolm Reed sat at his station, arms crossed, glancing around at everyone. Travis Mayweather had turned his chair around to face Hoshi Sato, and they seemed to be wrapped up in conversation that excluded everyone else on the Bridge, Reed included. He didn’t mind; it gave him time to quietly call the Armory and get the tactical report that he had neglected to retrieve earlier. He doubted there would be enough time before the chief engineer and the Vulcan science officer completed their work on the deflector, the warp coils, and the anomaly seal.

He worked on his console and hummed quietly as he did so. He reasoned with himself, classical shouldn’t be that offensive to the officers present. As he called up the report that he had been tending to earlier, Travis and Hoshi turned in their seats to look at him. He tried not to notice; however, Travis caught his attention. “Umm, sir?”

Malcolm looked up innocently from his console as he stopped humming. “Yes?”

Hoshi glanced at Travis, and then back to Reed. “Sir, what are you humming?”

Malcolm shrugged his shoulders at them. “Really. It’s only Mozart. Good lord.” He began humming again, pulling up the rest of the tactical report as Hoshi broke off from looking at Travis and began working her own console. She typed something, and then stood and walked behind the captain’s chair to the door to the ready room. She pressed the door pad, entered, and Malcolm silently wondered what she was doing.

Hoshi returned a moment later with Captain Archer following her. “Lieutenant, may I speak with you in private?” he said.

Being the only lieutenant on the Bridge at the time, Malcolm stood and walked to the Situation Room where Archer was standing. Archer turned around. “I hate to break this to you, Malcolm, but you’re a little on the tone-deaf side of humming this morning. No offense, but do you think you could hold off until you’re off duty today?”

Reed nodded. “She could’ve just told me herself.”

Archer smiled. “If I can suggest something? Try being a little more open with the Bridge staff. They might let you in on some of their conversations, or they might be talking behind your back. Use an open mind on duty, okay?”

Malcolm nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

Archer nodded in acknowledgement, and then the comm beeped. “Tucker to the Bridge.”

Malcolm went and sat down; Archer sat down in his chair and pressed the comm. “Go ahead, Trip.”

“The warp coils are rigged up now. If they fail on us now, I swear I’m resigning.”

“Yet another interesting example on Commander Tucker’s part of sarcasm,” T’Pol noted in the background.

Trip scowled, and then added, “We’re gonna have to divert power briefly from life-support to maintain position, but we’re good to go. We’re on our way to the Bridge.”

“Understood. Archer out.” To the helm, Archer said, “Maintain our position 8500 kilometers from the anomaly horizon, Travis.”

“8500 kilometers, aye.”

“Hoshi, any sign that the other ship has detected us?”

She shook her head. “The mirror Enterprise is keeping position, but I’m picking up audio transmissions from it.”

“What’s new?” Archer asked.

Hoshi’s face slightly scrunched while she picked through the dialogue. “Umm, the doctor is a woman named Erica Coleman . . . I’ve been helping Lieutenant Reed . . .” She pressed her earpiece closer in. “Oh, I’ve been helping him with some surveillance on the senior staff . . . and T’Pol is pregnant.”

After Hoshi’s last comment, you literally could have heard a pin drop. All stayed quiet until Archer asked, “Do you know who the father is?”

“It seems no one does. No one knows she’s pregnant either.” Hoshi touched her console again. “But I’ve found it.”

“Who is it?”

“Commander Tucker.”

At that moment, the turbolift opened and inside, Trip Tucker and T’Pol clearly had no idea of what the senior staff assembled was discussing. Trip shrugged. “Hey, guys. What did we miss?”

Archer stayed quiet; he couldn’t bring himself to say anything, fearing it might arouse suspicion. “Trip, T’Pol. Can I see you in my ready room?”

Reed watched the three officers walk into the ready room. Silently, he wished he could have been a fly on that wall to see how they took it.

* * *

“WHAT?!” was the first thing out of Trip’s mouth after Archer told them that the T’Pol from the other Enterprise was with child. T’Pol looked like she felt she was having an out-of-body experience as Trip ran an exasperated hand through his hair. T’Pol nearly sunk into a chair but maintained her composure. “You’re kidding me. Pregnant?!”

Archer skipped over all the emotional baggage. “Did either of you see this coming?”

Trip and T’Pol glanced between each other; she spoke first. “Commander Tucker observed that his counterpart was wearing band in secret. It was assumed that I was the spouse in question.”

Everything that had been happening between his two best friends over the past few days suddenly made sense to Archer: why T’Pol had shushed about what Trip’s counterpart looked like during the briefings, why Trip chased T’Pol off the Bridge and apparently made their peace, why they stood so close at all the briefings. After the incident with Lorian’s Enterprise in the Expanse and after discovering this information, they had adequate information about a possible future between them. They had lived with this for months; Trip even ended up leaving Enterprise because of it and coming back in the end.

Who knew what had happened between then in secret. Archer continued his line of questioning. “Does this change your feelings about closing the anomaly?”

T’Pol answered first. “Your counterpart still voices an opinion about crossing over into our universe. It could prove hazardous, not only to Starfleet, but to other alien cultures that might encounter them in the future.”

Archer nodded. “Trip?”

Trip nodded as well. “As much fun as it would be to see it as a baby, I gotta agree with T’Pol. We have no idea what they could be planning for coming into our universe. Besides that, Admiral Gardner already ordered you to seal it up.”

Archer stood behind his desk and walked around to his two friends. “You’re right about that. Starfleet wants us out of here by tomorrow. Trip, how much more time do you need for the deflector to be ready?”

Trip looked at T’Pol on his left, and then back to the captain in front of him as he replied, “Probably three hours or just less than that.”

“It might be possible to decrease that estimate to two hours,” T’Pol suggested as she watched Archer pull his journal out of his cabinet. The captain was aware of her watching him; she had watched him for four years previously and likely she knew that he only pulled it out and used it when it was the best of times and the worst of times. This was true; yet, Archer only pulled it out this time to review what he had written before.

Still, Archer appreciated his science officer offering a short-cut suggestion and inclined his head at her, letting her continue. Trip’s eyes were on her as well as she said, “I may have discovered a short-cut since our time in the Expanse, but I cannot guarantee that it will work.”

“Get started.”

Trip and T’Pol looked at each other for only a second, and then T’Pol, being closer to the door, turned and opened it. Trip turned and was following her out when Archer made a split-second decision. Something just wasn’t right; Trip and T’Pol were glancing at each other too much.

“Trip. Can you wait a minute?”

Yet again, they glanced at each other and Archer stifled an agitated moan. Softly, Trip said, “I’ll meet you in Engineering.” When T’Pol raised both of her already up-swept eyebrows, he lowered his voice even more as he assured her, “Don’t worry. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” smiling as he said it.

T’Pol nodded, and as she left Archer narrowed his eyes. Trip glanced at the door until it shut, and then turned back to the captain as he said, “So what’s up?”

Without hesitation, Archer said, “I’ve left this entire issue between you and T’Pol alone for the time being. I’m just wondering: have you come up with any plans for the future?”

Trip tilted his head. “Ya mean like naming our firstborn after you?”

Archer smiled. “Something like that. Actually, Trip, I’m a little worried about what this might entail for the crew.”

“What, are ya gettin’ the rest of the crew involved in this?”

“If I lift the no-fraternization rule on you and T’Pol, some might think I’m being partial because you’re my best friends.”

“Hmm. So what do ya need, an excuse from Phlox or somethin’?” Trip uttered with a quiet, mirthful chuckle.

Archer never took his eyes off of Trip. “As unlikely as that sounds, a medical excuse would be great.”

Trip chuckled again and glanced out the window. But when he looked back to Archer, the captain’s gaze hadn’t moved at all; his expression hadn’t changed either. “Oh. You’re not kiddin’, are ya?”

Archer shook his head.

“Oh, all right. Well, I’ll drag T’Pol to Sickbay with me after we’re done. I imagine it’s time for physicals or somethin’, hmm?” With a nod at the door, Trip said, “She’s waitin’ on me in Engineering.”

Faintly, Archer nodded, and Trip’s hand went for the door pad. “One more thing, Trip,” Archer quickly said after another split-second decision. “Are you sure you’re okay about closing the anomaly? With your counterparts and all?”

Trip paused by the open door and turned solemn. “It’s their life. Not mine and T’Pol’s, at least not yet. Not by a long shot.” He sighed, and then he turned to face the door. “Back to work.”

Archer watched his chief engineer’s back vanish onto the Bridge. Despite what troubles might be lurking around the corners, he only wanted what was best for his friends, what was going to make them happy.

As he sat down again at his desk and bent his head over his journal, he silently wondered, Is that too much to ask?

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

As he walked from the turbolift to Engineering, Trip was wondering why Captain Archer had suddenly taken an interest in his plans for the future. Maybe he was being too paranoid about it, Trip suggested to himself. Or, maybe the captain was just taking a sincere interest in what his friend was thinking about for the future.

Trip decided on the latter option; not only did it make more sense but it made the captain seem less like a spy and more like a friend.

He passed a crewman heading away from Engineering holding his hand. Upon a closer look, the young man was covered in soot, smoke, and ash. Trip reached out and grabbed the man’s arm, carefully avoiding the hand which appeared to be injured. “Grant. What happened?”

The young man glanced behind him. “A plasma relay in Engineering went crazy. I think they’re trying to get it under control now.”

“Anyone else hurt?”

Grant shook his head, but verbally he replied, “I don’t know. It was widespread; I was standing on the top level.”

Trip released his arm and let him go. In his mind, there was only one thing that he was worried about. Softly, he said, “T’Pol.”

Trip took off running, avoiding people left and right as they exited the affected area. The one person he didn’t yet see was T’Pol. As he came to the door, he saw Hess, covered in soot but standing as she directed people.

“Hess!” he called and her head pulled in his direction. As he fought his way through the crowd, he was still looking for pointed ears but failed to find them. “You okay?” he said as he stood next to her.

Hess nodded. “Yeah.”

“Anyone missing?”

In gasps clearly laced with pain, she said, “Don’t . . . know.”

Although it might give away something, he strongly asked, “Where’s T’Pol?”

The engineering assistant cocked her head to the door. “Inside.”

Behind him, he heard everyone talking, but when Hess said that T’Pol was still in Engineering, the talking turned into a faint singular voice. He pushed his way through to the common area of Engineering and looked around. People were lying on the floor and so far, none of them were wearing the red-tinted uniform he had just seen T’Pol in less than half an hour ago. The people began moving in their fetal positions, and he left them alone.

Medics were coming in, helping people to their feet and directing gurneys. He jumped up the stairs to the warp engine, checking it to make sure that it was stable. After he was positive, he hit the comm. “Tucker to the Bridge!”

Archer responded. “Go ahead, Trip. What happened?”

“One of the plasma relays exploded. Engineering looks like a war zone, but the engine is okay. I haven’t found T’Pol yet, so I don’t know about the deflector yet.”

“Contact us when there’s more news. Do you need any help?”

“Negative. More people would just add to the commotion. Tucker out.”

Quickly, Trip slid down the ladder and saw scorch marks on the bulkhead in front of him. He winced; it must have been where the relay was. He jumped the steps upstairs, looking for T’Pol still and getting even more worried since he hadn’t seen any sign of her, alive or unconscious.

But behind him, down the long strip of railing, he heard a voice that went higher in volume the more that he listened. He saw a figure covered in soot with her back to him, facing another engineer and holding a padd. He walked down the metal, gently stepping over debris, as he listened in. “Make sure that all crewmen are accounted for. Coordinate with Dr. Phlox, as some may have already departed for Sickbay.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the crewman said as he took the padd that she extended to him. When he turned away, he maneuvered her in a manner that made her turn as well. When she looked up, Trip was standing just four feet away from her. A tear was hidden at the corner of his eye.

“You okay?” he quietly asked.

T’Pol nodded. “I believe that I may be at fault for this explosion.”

“We’ll discuss culpability later,” he said, moving closer while he said it. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

T’Pol lifted a darkened hand to his cheek. “I am now.”

Trip gently let go of the small deluge that he’d been holding back. “I thought you were . . . well, I really didn’t know. I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“I was worried for you as well. Where were you?” she asked, lowering her voice.

“Ah, the captain wanted to chit-chat, that’s all. I would have been down here sooner, but . . .”

“We should both be thankful that Captain Archer detained you,” she added, turning him by placing her hands on his arms. Gyrating in place, Trip saw another blackened console, one that he favored working at. He had a faint idea of what she would say and fortunately, it was true. “Only a few seconds after the plasma relay exploded on the main level, a surge went through that console that seriously injured a crewman standing there. If you had been here, it likely would have been you.”

Trip owed the captain a thank-you; her point was extremely valid. He took one last glanced at the console, and then turned back to T’Pol. “Thanks,” he whispered to her, his lips close to her ear.

Four years ago, she would have looked confused beyond all reason; she probably would have rendered him unconscious for being as close as he was. But instead of that, she whispered back, “You’re welcome,” understanding what he meant by what he said. The comfort was what he needed.

Another crewman came around the corner, and Trip and T’Pol were trying to get out of their current positions without raising suspicions. T’Pol tried to go around him, but he reached out and touched her arm. “T’Pol, can we finish that discussion tonight, in my quarters?”

She nodded. Trip wondered whether he should bring up visiting Sickbay when she added, “And as I know you will insist on it later, I will visit Sickbay before I arrive.”

“Thanks. And I promise, I’ll explain about the insistence too.”

Lowering her voice again, she said, “Meet me at Sickbay at 1800 hours.” With that, she went around him and walked down to the ladder. As she descended, Trip stood and felt slightly like an idiot. Right now, however, that was one thing that he couldn’t afford.

He met with her again after descending the steps. “Was the deflector damaged?”

She consulted a console. “I don’t believe so. However, I lost the short-cut sequence in the explosion. If it was a result of the sequence, I believe it is adequate to say that the short-cut does not work.”

Trip nodded and pressed the comm button again. “Tucker to the Bridge.”

“Go ahead.”

“T’Pol thinks the explosion was a result of the short-cut. We’re back at three hours for sealing the anomaly.”

“How are things otherwise?”

“We’re okay,” Trip said, glancing at T’Pol. “Some critical injuries, but the ship looks worse than it is. Once we get Engineering cleared out, we’ll break out the mops and rags. We should be ready to fire up the deflector in three hours, as before. Tucker out.”

Trip looked back at T’Pol and the assistants that were gathering. “Okay. Billy, clean up around the relay a bit. Make sure the power is diverted so it doesn’t spark again. T’Pol, can we move our work, maybe to the observation room?”

She nodded. “I’ll need five minutes.”

Trip nodded and watched her as she walked upstairs again. Here she was, a fairly attractive Vulcan covered in soot and other matter. Her red uniform now appeared to be maroon or a mahogany color. Her peach skin was a fading shade of tan. Her brown hair was darkening from the ashes.

And yet, Trip smiled. He couldn’t have found her more beautiful if he had been looking at her before the explosion. Oh, well, he thought as he turned to the console again. Love does crazy things to a person, but it had literally changed him for the better.

* * *

As things were between the two realities, when one thing happened, for example the plasma relay explosion in Engineering, something similar happened in nature but slightly differing transpired in the other universe. Something happened on the mirror Enterprise, but it was an accident that was actually caused by a person onboard with the intent of harm.

This time around, a minor explosion in the Armory, a worse area than Engineering, had caused as much damage as the one on the “real” Enterprise, but there had been more injuries deliberately caused by the officer in charge of the Armory, a clean-shaven Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, and people were afraid to be around F-deck by the Armory, or in Reed’s presence anywhere. Even on the Bridge, many officers seemed afraid to be working there when Reed was.

T’Pol even appeared shaken by this turn of events; Reed found himself smiling when he thought about the look on her face. He may have been smiling about the knowledge that no one on the senior staff could place him near the Armory, wiring relays on a timer late last night when most of the senior staff was either asleep, working in their quarters, or talking with someone else. Reed had made sure of that; he had enlisted Hoshi Sato’s help with that endeavor. As a result, T’Pol had been in her quarters; ideas planted in Tucker’s mind about Captain Archer caused them to spend most of the night talking. Erica Coleman, the fairly attractive doctor, had stayed in Sickbay as she made a habit of doing.

Reed was actually using this plan to get rid of certain people. Archer and Tucker stood in his way of getting to the captain’s chair; they were top on his list for elimination. T’Pol and Dr. Coleman were civilians and therefore they presented no problem. It was unlikely that Hoshi would be promoted. Despite her relationship with the captain, she assisted Reed more than the captain divulged information to her. Yes, Hoshi would be a great help, in the slightly disturbed mind of Malcolm Reed.

However, the explosion had a different impact on one crewmember; coincidence had it that this person was also on Reed’s elimination list, although Reed had no knowledge that this person knew. Archer and Tucker had been called to the Armory by Reed, who in actuality was nowhere near the site. He was inside his quarters, watching the two up until they got the call. He shut off the visual monitors at that point, content to know that they would both be gone.

Reed’s plan had gone awry; Tucker stopped by Sickbay and Coleman detained him and Archer for a few minutes. In those few moments, the timer went off. One man had been in the Armory and so was burned; yet he would live. As a certain pointed-eared woman pointed out to Tucker, he should be grateful to Dr. Coleman, for she had inadvertently saved his life. However, just between the two of them, it also emphasized the earlier point that their lives were in jeopardy. Although neither of them came directly out and said it, Reed was narrowing his opposition down. Trip stood in his way; once Archer was out of command, which could be accomplished without killing him but instead with a doctor’s excuse, the chief engineer was in the captain’s chair. There was a long-standing duel between Trip and Reed; the latter wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him.

Tucker knew that he couldn’t stay on Enterprise at the rate that Reed was working. T’Pol predicted, at this rate, Trip would likely be dead in a week. And so just between the two of them, in Trip’s quarters, they made a pact: they would be off of Enterprise in five days. Everything would be going as normal to anyone who looked at them. And then one morning, the crew would wake to find the chief engineer and the Vulcan female missing.

They sealed it with a rarely tasted kiss. Now all he had to do was figure out how to escape.

* * *

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Onboard this Enterprise, Tucker was on his way to Engineering away from his cabin. His mind was filled with information to the point of bursting; he silently thought of everything he and T’Pol had said about leaving, and his brain hurt at the thought of solving the “how” in their discussion.

So he turned his attention and thinking to the lengthy conversation he and the captain had last night at Hoshi’s suggestion. It turned out that Archer wasn’t feeling his best. Trip knew how to solve his mood problems, and part of the solution was the bottle of bourbon resting in Archer’s cabinet.

And it worked, as usual.

Trip leaned back in his seat, smiling and looking at the half-empty bottle. “Ya know, it’s too bad we shaved Reed last time. We need another prank.”

“Trip, I believe that Lt. Reed suspects that our relationship is progressing beyond the colleague sense. It’s imperative that we plan our escape relatively soon. T’Pol”

The note led to the discussion they had voiced in his quarters that morning before he headed to Engineering. Trip cleared his head of all matters and turned to the matter at hand: work.

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY

T’Pol carried a share of padds to the observation room. Engineering personnel were working on repairing the site of the explosion, Trip excluded, but the matter remained that Starfleet had ordered the anomaly closed and they had to accomplish it by tonight.

Behind her, Trip was towing more equipment to the observation room as well. She estimated that he was carrying 1.84 times as much as she was, but one explanation stood out. Human males were supposed to be stronger than females; although being Vulcan and in Earth-normal gravity she could carry more, Trip was unaware of these facts and insistent that he carry it.

He grunted. T’Pol stopped, as did Trip behind her. They were both stubborn, but at the moment Trip’s stubbornness was injuring him and getting on her nerves. She moved behind him and picked up a heavier piece of equipment that had had been carrying on his back, and then continued on to the observation room.

Trip caught up with her and looked slightly dumbfounded. “What was that for? I was getting’ it fine.”

“It was clearly causing you pain,” she retorted.

Trip made a face, one he frequently did when she said something truthful and yet he tried to defend himself. “Well, yeah, but--”

“Do you recall when you visited Vulcan with me?”

Trip smirked. “All too well.”

“Before we left, I recommended that you ask Dr. Phlox for a medicine called tri-ox compound. Did you?”

“Nah, you know how stubborn I am.”

“All too well,” she repeated. She set the equipment down to press the door pad for the observation room. In preparation for their arrival, no one was inside and they continued their conversation in private. “When we were on Vulcan, did you experience shortness of breath or muscular fatigue?”

“Yeah?”

“Vulcan has a higher gravity and denser atmosphere than Earth or Enterprise. As a result, Vulcans are characteristically stronger than humans, including females.” She sat the equipment on the empty, long table; Trip followed suit behind her.

“Now you’re just tryin’ to make me feel bad,” Trip said softly.

T’Pol saw through his joking plea and ignored it. “One of the padds contains the schematics that I recovered from Engineering. I will spend a few minutes attempting to determine if there is any logic in using it.”

Trip shuffled the padds around on the table; finally, he picked one up, turned it around, and handed it to her. As she glanced the information over, he quietly asked, “Didn’t you once say it was impossible for a human and a Vulcan to mate and have a kid?”

She nodded. “Yet, you wonder how our counterparts could have conceived a child.”

“Yeah. I mean, it makes you wonder.”

T’Pol turned around and looked at the large screen. “Is the computer still attached to the other ship’s visual monitors?”

“I haven’t disconnected them,” Trip answered. “So they should still work.”

T’Pol began manipulating the screen. “Has it been recording continuously?”

Trip nodded, and then pushed his body off the table. “Whatcha doin’?”

“I’m moving the recording back to when our counterparts were last in Sickbay.” Her fingers moved gracefully over the console, she sensed from Trip’s mind, until she found the timeframe. The two of them were in Sickbay, after she collapsed in the turbolift. She was sitting on the main biobed, and as Dr. Coleman examined her, she appeared shocked. Trip worded something, and as Coleman said it, T’Pol said something longer in length than either of them had previously said, probably an explanation. After a few minutes, they concluded their business and walked out. Coleman watched after them, and then she turned away.

“Can you make it audio, now that we know that’s when it came out?” Trip asked, slightly looking over her shoulder.

Any other Vulcan, including who T’Pol was four years ago, would have been disturbed by his movement. However, she found herself enjoying his close proximity. Trip glanced down at her and slightly smiled. T’Pol would’ve allowed herself to smile back, but some things weren’t typical for Vulcans and wouldn’t be. She met his eyes and tried to direct him back to the screen.

Trip scowled playfully. “Oh, come on.”

She shook her head at him gently. “Not now, Trip. Perhaps later, in your quarters, after your visit to Sickbay.”

Trip answered, “Don’t forget, T’Pol, you’re gonna be there too.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” T’Pol went about setting up audio to hear the explanation for the pregnancy. “Here.”

They both listened to the other Trip explode.

“WHAT! How?”

T’Pol calmly explained: “Calm down, Commander. The last time I visited Earth, a colleague of mine, a geneticist, was working on a way to combine Vulcan and human DNA. I volunteered to test the application for side effects, since I said I was not involved with anyone.”

“But you can’t hide this, T’Pol,” the other Trip said with a groan. “The captain’s gonna know that . . .”

A feminine voice spoke up, and T’Pol identified her as the doctor. “In case you two forgot, I’m the only one that knows.”

Trip apologized. “Sorry. But now the captain’s gonna know that you’re pregnant, and that one of the guys onboard is the father. And considering the stuff that Malcolm is working on, it won’t take long for one of us to spill the beans.”

The doctor spoke up again. “And if the captain gets wind of this--”

“We’re all dead,” the other T’Pol said, “and so is our baby.”

T’Pol paused the audio recording and looked at Trip. “I believe that this situation has become more complex.”

Trip nodded and pressed the comm. “Tucker to Captain Archer.”

“Go ahead, Commander.”

Trip glanced at T’Pol. “Can you come to the observation room?”

* * *

Captain Archer looked at the screen as T’Pol reiterated, “Clearly, our counterparts’ lives are endangered by public knowledge of the pregnancy.”

“But Hoshi said that no one knew about it. And Trip, you said it’s their lives, not yours.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t exactly being much help earlier,” Trip said, glancing down. “But it’s still a life in jeopardy.”

“What can we do?” he asked, looking at them.

T’Pol stayed silent; Trip only shrugged. “Well, I hadn’t exactly gotten that far.”

Archer paused. He leaned on the table, and then looked back at the screen. “I’ll make you a deal. If you come up with something reasonable inside of three hours, I will intercede on your behalf with Starfleet and do the best I can. Get started.” With that, he pushed off and left the room.

Behind him, Trip and T’Pol stood side-by-side. They watched him leave and the knowledge that whatever they came up with in the next three hours could very possibly affect the existence of their counterpart’s baby came into clear focus. So they turned to the table and set to work on their life-affecting task.

* * *

After Trip had left, Jonathan Archer had made a probably rash decision and ended up waking a crewmember. He had told T’Pol that she could have the morning off; he didn’t need her on the Bridge. Accordingly, she had reset her alarm and so she woke up close to noon. She was going to lower herself onto the floor after she woke up and meditate. Trip was in Engineering; there was no use doing anything else.

But as she moved a single blanket aside and stood up, she felt a motivation to go towards the mirror in the bathroom instead. Her hair was still straight down on her forehead; it was assuming a part in the middle similar to Trip’s. She brushed it sideways with her hand but stubborn as it was, it stayed in position. After a few minutes, she gave up and was about to start the shower when she turned and looked at her profile.

A gentle hump was beginning to extend outward from her abdomen. For the first time that she could remember, T’Pol gasped.

Part 5 (Chapters 21-55)

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Half a dozen of you have made comments

I loved this story just as I loved Part 1 and 2. Wow! I don't know what your going to do about T'pol pregnacy, but I want to find out. Great job and please post soon.

Honestly, I'm figuring this out as I go along! Any ideas anyone has would be welcome. Ideas only, but I might not use them all. But all's well that ends well, so Part 5 is coming!
Thanks, Energy

more, more, MORE!!!!!!!

I got an idea... why don't you make sure T/T's counterpart as well as the child live!!!!!!! Okay, so that wasn't exactly an idea... consider it a suggestion. ;-)

Great story so far, it's a little crazy liking MU Archer while hating him at the exact same time... although I have no trouble hating the Reed in the MU... that man is messing with Trip after all!!!!!!!

Can't wait for part five!

interesting, but I am the only one who has trouble at times figuring out WHICH enterprise/T'Pol/Trip you're writing about in the different scenes??

Sometimes it's the other characters that give it away, but honestly sometimes I'm not always sure on which Enterprise I'm on.......

Wow! I love this story! I can't wait for the next part (however you come up with it!) :-)