To Boldly Go Once Again-Ch 11

To Boldly Go Once Again

By Eratta

Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: See chapter 1

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Chapter 11

Commander Reed rubbed his tired eyes. “Really, T’Pol this is ridiculous.”

The Vulcan, taken aback by such a blatant disagreement with her proposal from the person who had always shown her the utmost respect, twisted her back to straighten the kinks. The movement hid her frustration well.

“We have twenty minutes, Malcolm.” She said. That startled him; T’Pol had never called him by his given name in all three years they’d served together. Well, unless you counted that one time when she practically propositioned him, but that was beside the point. He shook himself back to the present.

“It’s too dangerous.” That always seemed to be his response to something planned by Captain—Commodore, he’s a commodore now—Archer, not the ever logical and cautious T’Pol of Vulcan. Malcolm had always liked how she and he seemed to think along the same lines, especially as regarded Archer’s safety. Now she was beginning to sound like Archer himself: bold plan, maximum risk and a quick ‘Everything’ll be fine’ to placate the tactical officer.

No, Malcolm Reed didn’t like this change in T’Pol at all.

“Then what do you recommend?”

Damn it all, he wouldn’t recommend anything other than staying put and calling for reinforcements, and she knew it. Somehow whenever there was a dangerous mission planned, it was never feasible to do it his way. Temporarily finished with his inner grumbling, Reed ran a hand over his jaw. He was still silent.

“Mr. Reed,” she began. He turned his face up to hers, waiting. “Do you trust me?”

Finally, a question that he didn’t need to think twice about. “Yes. But I trust myself more.”

T’Pol quirked an eyebrow. Of course. What else could she expect of Mr. Reed? “I too have tactical experience.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I know. It has potential, I’ll grant you that,” he said, “but I don’t like how all planning stops once we reach the surface. It leaves too much space for error, and we can’t afford any.” Just like always.

T’Pol nodded. He was right. “Silik said they have little use for prisoners. I think it’s safe to think they are under minimal guard, especially since there is no way off the planet.”

At his look she added, “Long-range scans indicate the planet is M-class, and even at this range we should know if any significant technological facilities existed.”

Reed concurred. “I don’t suppose you asked him what other species are down there? No?” He frowned, thinking. “Columbia’s crew should all be together. Once we get close enough, it should be easy to find their bio-signs.”

He sat back in his chair, face contorting as he racked his brain for something, anything. “We’ve got our way in. We need a way to get us, and about eighty others, out.” A few more minutes were spent in silence; T’Pol retreated in her mind and turned her vacant stare out on the room.

“If the Suliban truly were bringing a commandeered vessel full of humans to the outpost, they’d need a quick and efficient way to get them to the surface.” T’Pol mused aloud.

Picking up the thought, Malcolm replied, “Shuttlepod trips would take too long. The transporter?”

The two of them reached the same conclusion. T’Pol spoke first.

“From external sensors, it doesn’t matter where the transported object originates or rematerializes.”

“It all looks the same. We could say we’re beaming Enterprise’s crew down when we’d really be bringing Columbia’s up!” Malcolm finished. It was remarkably simple; just the way he liked it.”

“All right.” He said, rubbing his palms together. “We’ve got two of the three parts covered. Now how do we get out?”

“Perhaps we could fabricate orders to move Enterprise to another location? The Suilban are not very well organized—“
“And they’re pressed for time.” Reed nodded again. “It might work.” He sat back. “So I guess this is the basic outline.”
“Things will have to be tweaked once we get closer and know more about the planet.” T’Pol agreed. “I will start new scans immediately and schedule a briefing in thirty minutes.”

Malcolm smiled as they rose from the table. This was the T’Pol he knew, and it put him that much more at ease to know their minds were in sync. “See you then.”

Both the science and tactical officers went into the briefing with the full knowledge of exactly how it would go. As T’Pol explained the plan, Reed saw the Archer’s eyes light up in approval as Trip’s darkened in annoyance. If things weren’t so deadly serious, he might have had to stifle a laugh.

“Malcolm? You agree with this?” Well now, there was a question that rarely came from Archer.

“Yessir. It’s risky, but then nothing like this is ever safe.”

Archer nodded, satisfied, and turned to Tucker. “Bringing on Columbia’s crew is going to affect our getaway.”

Trip, arms folded as tightly as his lips, struggled to keep his cool. “It’ll take more from the engines to get us home, but we should be able to do it. But if we get in a firefight, we’ll have to compensate for slower maneuvering.”

All eyes turned to Ensign Pallavi, whose look went from wide-eyed excitement to alert beneath all those stares. “Think you can do it, ensign?” She felt her stomach tighten.

“Yes sir.” Relief wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what she felt when Archer gave her a brief smile and turned away to dismiss everyone. As the members of the senior staff rushed away to prepare, Trip murmured a quick,

“Can I talk to you?” to his good friend. Archer led them to the Ready Room, already sure what this was about.

“Don’t tell me,” he started, easing himself into his chair. It wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be. “You don’t like being left behind.”

Despite the situation, Trip had to grin. “I never did. And by now I really should know better.”

Archer laughed, enjoying the lighthearted moment that would vanish all too soon.

“I just . . . I don’t like how it’ll be just you and T’Pol down there. In fact, none of us want you to go at all.”

“Are you trying to tell me I’m old, Trip?” Archer teased. Again Trip grinned.

“I definitely know better than that.” He said. “But why not let Malcolm or a MACO go? And I’ve got very good people in engineering, so really I could—“

“Trip. We both know what this is really about.” Archer said. They didn’t have time to beat about the bush. Trip said nothing.

“She has to go. She designed the plan, and she has the background to carry it out.” Archer’s words were not unsympathetic. If the woman he loved was being sent on a dangerous mission without him, Jon knew he’d feel the same way Trip did now.

Trip bit back a sigh. He knew it was true, but it didn’t make him any happier. He knew her history with away missions; as far as injury and near-death experiences went, it wasn’t much better than his.

“Have you talked to her about it?” Archer asked. The engineer rolled his eyes.

“Are you hearing yourself?”

Archer suppressed a smile. Talking to T’Pol could be as infuriating as talking to lizard. You could yell, shout, do anything to provoke a reaction and she would still be utterly grave. It was an experience they were both very familiar with.

“Anyway,” Trip continued, finally taking a seat in the guest chair, “it’s only been a couple days that we’ve even talked to each other. Before that it was years of silence.”

“It wasn’t just you that she cut herself off from, Trip. As far as I know, she completely secluded herself. Not even Soval knew where she was or what she was doing.”

He paused while Trip mulled it over. He glanced at the chronometer on his monitor.

“You’ve got 45 minutes. I say go talk to her.”

They shared a look, and without a word Trip left, resolved to do just that.

Getting himself down to her quarters was easy enough. So was pressing her announce control, and getting himself in the room once she called out permission to enter. But then motor skills failed, and Trip just stood there in the threshold of T’Pol’s quarters, looking as foolish and scared as he felt.

T’Pol, seated on a mat in front of her meditation table, knew this look well. It had haunted her for years. Never before had she seen such intense emotion contained so precariously for her sake, and she never expected to see such a look on any other being. It was purely Commander Tucker, and though she knew something difficult was coming, she couldn’t bring herself to dismiss him before he’d said his piece.

“I just—“ he started. His voice was hoarse, and he smoothed his uniform with trembling hands as he stood before her. Trip tried not to think about that fact that she hadn’t invited him to sit down. He also tried to forget the stoic, unforgiving stillness of her countenance. She had never been more Vulcan, and he had never been more vulnerable.

“I wanted to talk . . . before you have to go.”

“What about?”

Trip had a good feeling she knew exactly ‘what about’. He knew this game of hers. She was scared. He could see it on her and could taste it in the air. But her fear scared him too, because he wasn’t sure what she was scared of. It could be that she was scared of him, of his feelings for her. Or maybe she was scared of the feelings that he suspected she had for him. Hell, maybe it was a combination of them all. The point was that even after years of agonized wondering and divination, poor Trip still didn’t know what it was. And that made it all too easy for her to slip through his fingers again.

He took a deep breath. “About you and me. About what happened years ago, and what I think is happening now.” He was amazed at how he got it out in such a clear, strong voice.

T’Pol was surprised as well. He knows, she thought. It was petrifying and set off a chain of thoughts, each more frantic than the last, a reaction she was helpless to stop and forced to endure. He knows I feel as he does. He’ll want an explanation, want to know why I won’t let anything happen between us. He’ll ask me to give him—us—a chance. He’ll want to know what I’m afraid of. And the single most terrifying thought of all, the one that had kept her emotions for Trip from ever being manifest into reality. He will ask me for something I cannot give. And it will destroy him.

He was still standing there, unsure whether he should forge ahead or let her say something. Peering at her, Trip couldn’t see what she was thinking. But he could feel something shift. She rose, and his stomach sank. He knew this was not how he wanted it to go.

“There is nothing to be said.” She answered him, turning around to snuff out a few candles scattered across the cabin. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him fidget, his eyes moving restlessly. He was becoming agitated, and she hoped he would just let himself graduate to anger and leave. It would make everything so much easier, just like it had in the past.

“You don’t need to say anything, T’Pol.” He said. He was hurt, pissed at her for hurting him again and even more pissed at himself for thinking this situation could have turned out otherwise. “Because for once, this isn’t about you. This is about me.”

She was facing him again, her face soft and unguarded once more. She thought she’d turned the tables back on him. But for once, Trip had the up on his Vulcan, and he was going to show her the light whether she liked it or not. He pressed on, determined to finish this. If he never saw her again, at least he’d have the comfort that she had known definitively, once and for all, exactly how he felt about her.

“No matter what happens after this, I need you to know how I feel; how I’ve felt for so long.”

In two long strides he caught her and kissed her soundly. It wasn’t gentle or long; actually rather impassioned and hard, and it took both their breaths away. T’Pol was too stunned to do anything but stand in his embrace as he held her, his breath stirring the hair behind her ear as he poured his whole heart out in a few whispered words. And just as suddenly as he’d grabbed her, T’Pol found herself free and staring after Trip’s form as it hastily passed through her door.

She found herself sinking to her bunk, wondering nonsensically if a Vulcan had ever died of too much emotion.

Several decks down, sitting in the cool metal confines of the brig, Silik brooded. Time was running out, and they needed instruction. He needed to redeem himself from so many failures. The lines in his face deepened as he thought, fiercely trying to come up with something, anything.

“Stop it.”

The command came from the female across the cell. Silik did his best to quiet his thoughts. He’d forgotten about his newest enhancement. Telepathy was newer to him than to the other Suliban currently enjoying incarceration in the belly of the Earth ship. He had to police himself not to let his personal thoughts interfere in the communications going on between the others. Instead of focusing on himself, he channeled his new skills to the conversation taking place between his cell mate and the others under her command in the next cell. Inwardly, he smiled to himself as he looked out at the guards who policed them, completely oblivious to the silent and communal brainstorming that was taking place through the steel walls. Archer had outmaneuvered them for now, but it wouldn’t be long before odds favored Silik and his kind again.

Chapter 12

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Great chappie! Now I have to go re-read 10 chapters to remember what's happening! So, if you will excuse me, I have reading to do! :)

Oh... this is absolute torture! You're gonna let her go down to the planet without settling things with Trip, aren't you? Please have her go to him and change her mind. She's got a good reason to. She might die on the planet. What better motivation is there for deciding to tell him (or maybe just show him) how she feels? I'm DYIN' here!

****This passage is why people read fanfic.****

In two long strides he caught her and kissed her soundly. It wasn’t gentle or long; actually rather impassioned and hard, and it took both their breaths away. T’Pol was too stunned to do anything but stand in his embrace as he held her, his breath stirring the hair behind her ear as he poured his whole heart out in a few whispered words. And just as suddenly as he’d grabbed her, T’Pol found herself free and staring after Trip’s form as it hastily passed through her door.

She found herself sinking to her bunk, wondering nonsensically if a Vulcan had ever died of too much emotion.

***Sexy as hell, romantic with no sap.***

Great chapter. Keep them coming.

I had never read any of this story until today and then I had to go back and read the whole thing. I really like your POV on T'Pol ... how she tried to get Trip out of her head, but it obviously failing miserably. Can't wait to read the rest of it.

Great update! More please & soon!

great chapter, but I too had to go back again and read all the chapters to remember the storyline. Still it's a good read, and very well written.

That passage about the kiss even took *my* breath away. Your writing is so articulate and beautiful. And I really like your take on each of our characters--they're more in character than they were in some of the episodes B&B cobbled together. Just gorgeous!

Emily

That passage about the kiss even took *my* breath away. Your writing is so articulate and beautiful. And I really like your take on each of our characters, especially TnT--they're all more in character than they were in some of the episodes B&B cobbled together. Just gorgeous!

Emily

This waiting is torture.