Mirrors Reverse Reality

Mirrors Reverse Reality

By greta2242

Rating:
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Paramount. No infringement intended.
Summary: A mirror universe story I started before the spoilers for the MU episodes came out. This mirror universe is based on the one established in TOS.

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The alien woman with a diamond on her forehead solemnly told Archer, Trip and T’Pol, “We have heard your request to assist us in preventing the rebel Andorians group from illegally mining our planet and beginning a trade contract between our three worlds Captain. We will discuss your idea at the council meeting and contact you on your ship.”

Archer replied, “If you need anymore proof that our people are now peaceful or that the Andorian government will arrest the rebels even without a trade agreement--”

The woman stopped Archer from finishing and replied, “We understand that at present your offer is well intended. But the future is still uncertain. Our mines are the only commodity of interest to others, so we must choose our trading partners carefully. We don’t believe in violence, so we are at a crossroads in our council on how to protect our people while preserving our non violent, peaceful planet. Our people would rather die ourselves than take another life either through action or inaction.”

Trip added quietly, “I admire your ethics. If you hadn’t met a few bad apples, we wouldn’t be here now.”

The alien woman’s eyes widened a little at the handsome human. She hadn’t expected him to mention apples.

T’Pol saw the silent look of appreciation that the woman gave Trip. Trip said more to the alien woman in that one sentence than he said to her all week. And the other woman’s look of delight was definitely an unfavorable view at this moment.

The diplomat said no more to them and left in a small parade from the conference table. The three officers were alone.

Lightening crashed in the distance. T’Pol decided to be helpful and used her communicator rather than continue her analysis of Trip. “T’Pol to Enterprise. Report on the magnetic storm.”

Hoshi, who was feeling aches and pains from a bad night sleep, muttered to herself, “You’re the science officer. Hold on.” A few minutes later Hoshi read to her, “Standard ion storm but at the present unpredictable and it’s affecting the ship.”

T’Pol assumed her readings meant that the storm was affecting Enterprise, and it was now confirmed. T’Pol turned to the captain and reported, “It’s safer to beam up one at a time Captain.”

Trip’s voice was in her mind again. He was going to be noble. Seconds later he said, “I’ll go last this time.”

He was thinking of the incident with Ensign Sato. Why it struck a cord inside her when he thought of another woman, even someone only as a friend was an emotion she needed to mediate on. She stood next to Trip and told Archer, “Captain.”

Archer looked back and forth at his two officers. Trip looked like he wanted to yell at her or continue the silent treatment. But she looked ready to say something herself. Archer smiled and said, “You have two minutes.”

Trip knew that T’Pol reacted badly to something he said a few minutes ago. He had the impression that he helped in negotiations, so she had no reason to reprimand him. And anyhow she had no right to criticize him since she married another man with him watching. She didn’t love him, so she had no right to say anything to him! She was only bound to him through sex. After all was said and done, he was just an experiment to her. And he was going to tell her just that right before she beamed up.

When Archer beamed back, Trip turned to T’Pol, “Say it already.”

T’Pol arched her eyebrow and asked, “What am I to say exactly?”

She was winning. He simply told her, “What had you throwing daggers at me with your eyes.”

He was angry. But she didn’t understand his question. She told him, “My eyes do not throw anything, let alone daggers.”

She was confused. And his anger left him almost immediately. He explained to her, “It’s a human expression that asks ‘why were you looking at me a few minutes ago?’” He felt it best not to finish his explanation with an emotion. She wouldn’t like to hear his emotions.

She nodded her head and answered, “You surprised me with your diplomacy Trip.” Instead of waiting for him to say anything more she opened her communicator and said, “Ready.”

Trip watched her disappear before he said to a half dematerialized T’Pol, “I know you don’t want to hear my human emotions, but I loved you. Still do and it’s driving me crazy.”

She rematerialized on Enterprise. Trip wanted to be her mate. Why he told her while in transport was a mystery, but a sense of peace that she was missing practically all her adult life blossomed immediately. She had a future with her life mate. He understood now what a bond meant to a Vulcan.

Trip let out a breath. The doctor had told him to tell her. He needed to find a way to really tell her later. But he felt that sense of determination that came with saying how he felt out loud. Now he had to do something about it. Her marriage was annulled a while ago, and her thoughts kept getting into his head especially when he dreamed. She was actually in his unconscious, so sorting out how he felt was difficult. But what he said was the truth. He loved her.

The captain interrupted him, “Are you beaming up?”

Trip came out of his reverie and stood a little straighter before answering, “One to transport, Cap’n.”

Lightening flashed in the distance. The flash of light that he was being transported began. He still dreaded this moment, but after adding coils the transporter seemed to work safer.

T’Pol waited in the transport as Malcolm kept alternating the controls to different levels. Trip wasn’t materializing. She asked concerned, “Lt. Reed?”

In a flash he beamed in and out before completely disappearing from her sight.
~*~

Trip felt a little strange as he finally materialized. The beam up was rough, and he was obviously going to run a diagnostic. As he thought of the mundane, he suddenly notched that he was carrying a rather large photonic weapon on his belt, and his uniform was differently. Then Malcolm and T’Pol saluted him like he was Hitler, beating on their chest and extending their arms in salute.

T’Pol then told Malcolm, “I will allow you to live.”

Malcolm snarled at her like he wanted to throw a dagger into her spine, but he didn’t say anything.

T’Pol then asked Trip, “How was your mission?”

He eyed her wearily. She wasn’t in his thoughts anymore. And the outfit she was currently wearing was far different than her catsuit. Her robes were invisible almost everywhere except in a few small places. He put on his poker face and answered her question, “No change.”

Her face was sharper, more vicious, but it was her. She asked him, “Do you recommend the current procedure?”

He nodded his reply, and she reported to the bridge, “No change Captain.”

Archer then said through the communications, “Brace for a phaser barrage on all cities.”

Trip contained his shock at the Captain’s command. Archer was about to destroy cities on the peaceful planet?

T’Pol asked Trip, “Military capability?”

How to answer that one? If he lied, she’d know since she was there unless she wasn’t there before him. He wasn’t sure. It felt wrong to answer, but he knew how to stop those phasers. He shook his head no as he answered, “None.”

T’Pol told Trip, “This society chose suicide. We must compensate the weapons discharge with the ion storm.” She then turned towards Malcolm and told him, “The captain will be displeased that you didn’t compensate for the storm while transporting Commander Tucker. Choose one of your slave girls to accept your punishment for the captain’s entertainment.”

Trip was most definitely not on the right Enterprise.

Malcolm held a fake snarl like he wanted to strangle T’Pol for her order to torture a girl over dinner, so he explained to T’Pol in a serious tone, “There was an energy spike from the storm during the transport.”

T’Pol turned her eyes back towards Trip, but she took an appreciate stare at his body before she asked, “Do you feel any abnormal affects Trip?”

She called him Trip in front of others? And her obvious once over of his body proved that she wasn’t her usual self. T’Pol is more reserved in public. But wherever he was, his lack of a telepathic connection to her was going to give him away. He jumped at the excuse, “Yes. I’ll see Phlox over the rough beam up.”

T’Pol nodded her approval ever so slightly. She knew something was different with him. She then said, “I’ll check the circuits for a malfunction.”

Trip walked into the hallway and two crewmen gave him the same Nazi like salute. It was unnerving. As he walked towards sickbay he prayed that he was having some sick fantasy. But even then he realized it wasn’t likely; T’Pol’s gentle reasoning in his head usually made his night time dreams a little different lately. And T’Pol’s presence was definitely missing from this. No, he wasn’t dreaming.

Trip walked into the medical facility and saw Phlox tending to some sort of gooey chamber that moved. And someone was moaning in obvious pain in the background somewhere unseen. Phlox told him as he approached with a medical device, “The clones are growing nicely. We should have another batch to practice on soon. Anyhow Commander Tucker sit down.”

Trip took the seat and explained, “I’m a little disoriented.”

Phlox scanned him and saw nothing to worry about. He said, “Your body is probably still coping with the transporter malfunction. If the symptoms still remain in a few days come back for a more thorough review.”

He saw enough of sickbay to horrify him. Phlox was cloning things to practice on? He then heard a noise from Phlox’s chair that confounded him, “Is that the spot on the floor you’ve been after me to stop squeaking?”

Phlox answered, “When you have the time Commander.”

It was Enterprise. But it wasn’t. He nodded at Phlox and started towards the engine room for more answers. He had felt a little dizzy reaching Enterprise, and then he faded out. Then he felt the dizziness again and he was here. Malcolm mentioned the ion storm affected the Transporter. Was it possible that he was somewhere else? He doubted that T’Pol would believe him on his hunch that he was on a parallel universe somehow, on some other dimensional plane.

He read about the theories from T’Pol’s own science log books a while ago. He liked a good question that made a science fiction fun to reason, question, or debate while working. But he never expected to actually find himself stuck in a parallel universe. And if he was here, then in theory on his Enterprise a different version of himself appeared. Similar happening on different universes. Similar storms. If he was here, then ‘he’ was also on his own Enterprise.

As he reached engineering he realized that the phaser barrage was set to begin soon and he needed to work fast to prevent ‘Archer’ from destroying the planet. With the storm still going on outside, the fastest way to buy time was too short out the main conductor making it appear that the ion storm affected the ship. Then he needed to figure out how to replicate the transporter accident. He needed to get home. He had something important to discuss with T’Pol, and nothing was going to get in his way again. He had a lot to learn and learn quickly if he wanted to get home. He refused to face the question of what if he was stuck here forever.

Trip walked into engineering and found a security guard posted at his engine. Odd. He put his arms behind his back and said, “Captain’s ordered me to check the circuits before firing begins.”

The security officer asked, “Do you have security clearance?”

Trip repeated, “Cap’n ordered me.”

The officer replied, “I’ll have to check with Lt. Reed.”

Trip smiled with his best poker face, “Never mind right now. I’m hungry. I’ll come back later.”

Trip had no choice. Captain Archer had asked for reports from all hands about the storm. He opened the communicator in the hallway and said, “Engineering. No damage to report Captain.”

Archer replied, “Understood. Captain out.”

Trip then had a crazy notion. Before he beamed down to the planet, Substation 12 was going on and offline. If he tampered a little with substation 12, it would stand down the phasers for a while. He just needed to make sure that no one saw him.

One of the phasers began firing as Trip made his way to the substation. One of the cities must be in ruins already. He needed to work fast if he was to stop the ship from murdering millions more on that planet. Killing people like his sister was killed was just wrong. He worked out a complicated overload of the substation and set a timer. And he needed to be far away when it went off.

A second phaser cannon started to go online as he turned the corner of a hallway. In two minutes the engines would cease loading the weapons with energy, and he would have some time to find a way out of here.

Suddenly he felt cold steel on his back. Then a man appeared from one of the doors to corner him. Trip instincts demanded that the best thing to do is find out what’s going on.

Once whoever hired these thugs assumed that Trip was contained, the mastermind of the set up stepped out of the shadows. Travis.

Travis had a huge scar across his forehead. He laughed at Trip before saying, “It didn’t have to end like this Trip. If you had just given me what I wanted, we both would have lived to see tomorrow.”

Trip bluffed his reply as best he could, “There wasn’t anything in it for me.”

Travis looked offended before answering, “Selling Hoshi to Malcolm instead of me was in your best interest?”

He sold Hoshi? Huh? He didn’t have time to think of anything else because one of the thugs turned the other. Trip took it as his opportunity to silence Travis with a good old fashioned one two punch. Travis fought back, but Trip’s surprise tactic threw him off.

Before the fight continued security forces appeared. One of the thugs killed the other. Malcolm’s men grabbed the guy but he quickly said, “I turned and protected the Commander.”

Trip wiped blood off of his mouth as he added, “He’s telling the truth.”

Malcolm nodded at Travis and then asked, “To the chamber with him?”

Trip had no idea what the chamber was, but it seemed the right answer, “Yes, to the Chamber.”

Malcolm nodded and followed the order.

But just as Malcolm walked away with Travis is custody, the ship’s weapons malfunctioned on schedule. There was a tiny vibration that only the engineer would notice. He walked to a communication rely and reported, “Something might be wrong in engineering. Let me go find out what’s going on.”

Archer responded annoyed, “My orders are the total destruction of that planet if they didn’t submit. Hurry up. I’ll stall and maybe they’ll reconsider now that we started the bombardment.”

Trip felt like replying sarcastically ‘hail Hitler’ as it seemed most fitting. But instead he answered, “I’ll get the ship engine online sir.”

Trip then walked to engineering and this time the security guard said nothing except his eerie salute. The captain obviously went through the channels to give Trip access.

Since he caused the microburst, fixing it would be simple. However he set up a full scale diagnostic which would buy him a few hours. He ordered the diagnostic and reported to the bridge, “The diagnostic will take about 4 hours captain.”

Archer then said, “Report to me when you finish.”

Trip turned off the communicator and mumbled to himself, “No one else is going to die while I’m here.”

He then briefly wondered what sort of havoc his counterpart was creating in his own universe.

~*~

On the regular Enterprise T’Pol stood next to Archer as security escorted Trip down the hall. Trip was yelling, “Let me go immediately! T’Pol kill him and institute our plan!”

T’Pol raised her eyebrow slightly at the suggestion and told the captain, “I explained earlier that he wasn’t Commander Tucker.”

Archer responded, “I won’t assume that your judgment is clouded on the subject of Commander Tucker again.”

Trip was placed in the brig and as the door closed he vowed, “I’m going to string you up by your pointy ears for betraying me T’Pol.”

T’Pol simply explained, “You will remain here until I discover how to return you to wherever it is that you belong. A parallel universe is my only hypothesis at this moment.”

Trip yelled, “The whole galaxy is crazy. What is that you’re wearing around me? What happened to my uniform? What happened to our scheme to control Earth and Vulcan?”

T’Pol was curious but replied, “I cannot answer any of your questions at this time.”

Trip replied, “OK apparently you want more credit darling. If you want me to leave you alone as the solo Queen of Vulcan just tell me. We’ll work it out.”

She answered, “Apparently you assume that there is something to negotiate between us. I cannot help you at this time Commander.”

She started to walk back towards the captain when Trip desperately asked, “What will buy you? More power?”

Archer was going to respond but she shook her head at him before saying, “This is not the Commander Tucker from our time continuum. So unless you fear that I will follow his suggested course of action and murder you, I suggest we work on correcting this anomaly immediately.”

Archer told her, “We’ll get Trip back.”

She made no response, but she was going to do whatever was necessary to return Trip to his home. She needed to explain how she wanted to be his life mate.
~*~

Trip walked into his chamber on the alternative universe ship. He opened the door and was struck dumb at the site before him. T’Pol waited on his couch wearing a black lace up corset, matching panties, and nothing else. Where would she get that outfit? When his thoughts refocused on where he was, he stepped in to let the door close behind him.

She looked at him and replied, “I’m pleased you survived the assassination attempt.”

Trip responded as best he could, “I’m pleased about that myself.”

She told him truthfully, “I would regret your death.”

He simply asked her, “Why?”

She smiled at him enigmatically which signaled to Trip immediately that he was not on his own ship with his T’Pol. She simply replied, “It would be illogical for me to wish for your death before our plans have reached their fruition. Now since tonight is your game, what else besides wearing this outfit do you wish me to do for you?”

T’Pol was offering herself like a cheap… no something was wrong. She was testing him. So he shocked her by asking, “Is it discomforting for you not to be in my head?”

She straightened her neck before answering, “You know about my bond with you?”

He answered her, “Your thoughts are usually in my head as well.”

She looked intrigued before answering, “I assumed that our bond was one sided since you are not telepathic.”

Interesting. In his universe T’Pol was honest with him, but apparently it wasn’t true for the alternate T’Pol. So it was time for a gamble. His morals and every ethical bone in his body screamed in disgust when he found out about her Trellium D affliction in his own universe. But what would an unethical Charles Tucker III do with the information. He shrugged his shoulders and asked, “Does it bother you that I know your secrets as well? Like your addiction to Trellium D?”

She involuntarily stepped backwards before stating, “What is the purpose of this revelation now? Is there something in our plan that you wish to change?”

He wanted to know the plan details, but asking would give him away. And the main thing was getting home, not involved. So he walked closer to her, brushed a lock of her longer hair behind her ear before telling her, “I just thought that it was time to trust each other this night since our mind games aren’t working.”

She licked her lips waiting for him to kiss her. But he didn’t. Trip was not acting as his usual more brutish self. She looked into his eyes and tried to discern the missing information. He was somehow off of his usual course. When he didn’t kiss her, she told him, “If you do not wish to continue our plan for this evening now is the time to tell me Trip.”

In the strange parallel universe, he actually had T’Pol in his quarters. If this T’Pol wished to remain bonded with his other self, perhaps his cause at home wasn’t lost. He told the T’Pol in his arms, “I need you to remind me of what I’m supposed to do tonight. My mind has been jumbled since the transporter malfunction, and you’re the only one on this ship I trust until I get some sleep.”

She put her arms around his waist before explaining, “Tonight Malcolm will kill Archer over Hoshi as we watch, and our plan goes into action.” Before he could ask, she continued to explain, “This way you gain control of the Enterprise. We then use your invention and my discovery of every ship in the Vulcan and Andorian fleets. We attack quickly, hold all three worlds at our threats of destruction, and create our empire. To quote your favorite saying, ‘Those that do not join, die.’”

The word empire coming from T’Pol’s mouth seemed absurd, but she said it so seriously. He needed to gamble that for the next few hours, she would trust him. He needed to get out of the parallel universe before he was forced to act out her calculated vicious plan. He pulled away from him and replied, “If we are to accomplish our goal, I have work to finish.”

She found her robe and told him, “As you work, I will mediate. We have the captain’s dinner in two hours.”

It was disconcerting that he was plotting an escape plan as ‘T’Pol’ mediated on his floor like she lived in his quarters. Her mediation candles had a tendency for him to remember his own T’Pol, and some late nights they shared. But he kept focusing his mind on his computer models. He needed to replicate the transporter accident to get home.

He ran the test twice on his model program before figuring out that the ionic storm on the planet was of such magnitude that it caused a power surge in the transporter circuits, creating a momentary interdimensional contact with a parallel universe. Of course the tests had to be based on his memory of Vulcan hypotheticals.

He then saw the clock was ticking for his dinner with the captain, so he ran the next set of computations only once to get the following idea that in a replicated moment a person in the act of beaming can be transposed with his counterpart in the other universe. Once that mathematical test came back in his favor he found the last number crunch to be faster than he anticipated. With a quick double check of his math, he realized that if he tapped the engine’s warp drive to the transporter coils, he could create the conditions necessary artificially using the ship’s main power. The only problem he’d have to chance was Malcolm’s security measures in engineering. In the one second needed for the transport, Malcolm has the power to end the power surge at a switch of a button.

Before deciding how to deal with Malcolm and get to the engine to start his set up, T’Pol told him, “It’s time to dress for dinner… darling.”

She used a human endearment? She was testing him again so he measured his response before he asked her, “A human endearment, my love?”

She told him, “The one you used with Ensign Sato before you sold her to Lt. Reed.”

Trip remembered in horror T’Pol’s order that Malcolm choose a slave to be punished over dinner. He asked T’Pol, “Why did we choose Hoshi?”

T’Pol shot a look of annoyance towards Trip. They choose to sell Ensign Sato to Malcolm and latter to tempt the Captain with her. Malcolm and the Captain had both sniffed around Hoshi long enough. Of course her own feelings on Ensign Sato began when Trip choose to call Hoshi his wife years ago to save her. He bought Hoshi from those slavers instead of her at the time, and even though she won Trip herself later on, what happened made T’Pol not exactly trusting of Trip on the Hoshi subject. It was past time that he helped her set up this part of the plan instead of always working on converting Malcolm’s loyalties.

She of course said nothing to Trip. She simply found her matching sheer robes in the same color he chose to wear and dressed in silence.

He felt a momentary uneasiness about lifting his shirt to change in front of T’Pol. It wasn’t his T’Pol. ‘His’ might get jealous when she found out. She freely entered his mind, so he couldn’t hide facts from her. And there was no telling how T’Pol would react. Lately she’d been edgy around him. Her emotions surfaced in private when a little peculiar moment occurred. He’d seen her smile and frown lately. And he actually missed not seeing her. He stalled long enough and quickly changed his shirt.

T’Pol waited until he offered her his arm to guide her. As his woman on this ship it was demanded that the man walk a small step in front to offer guidance. The sexual revolution on Earth was markedly different than on Vulcan. But what struck her as most disconcerting was that Trip offered his two fingers instead of his arm. Why would her Trip suddenly show affection in the Vulcan manner? And why did she find his gesture thrilling?

Trip led T’Pol to the mess hall. She wanted to ask him something, but she remained silent. Like his own T’Pol, she probably reasoned her question wasn’t something to say public. Just when he thought she was a completely different person, in that small moment he felt and eerie sense that she was indeed T’Pol. He needed to get home.

The door to the Captain’s Mess opened and Trip presided over his seat still keeping his two fingers on T’Pol until she reached her seat. Once everyone was in position, the entire table sat.

Captain Archer had a beard. It wasn’t a goatee or even well kept. He was growing a beard like the dwarf in Lord of the Rings.

Dinner proceeded around him, and Trip felt more comfortable watching. Malcolm joined the table at the seat next to the Captain. They were lightly chatting about how rich the planet’s minefield was going to make the ship rich.

The Captain then turned to Trip and said cheerfully, “I haven’t congratulated you on your upcoming nuptials. So in honor of my oldest friend getting married, I’d like to propose a toast.”

He felt himself smile uncomfortably before saying, “It’s not necessary…”

Archer held up his glass and said, “To the one man that could trap a Virgin Vulcan. He’s lucky that Vulcans biologically can only have one mate, or I’d be looking to take over for him. But since Trip is my friend, it’s my duty to make sure all human temptations are out of the picture.”

His own confusion at the Captain’s mis-education about Vulcans must have been evident to T’Pol since she sent him a look that said to be quiet. Before he could form a rationale response three females proceeded into the mess hall. Two females carried weapons, and the third was Hoshi.

The women took their places by the window like they were about to perform an erotic dance or something, but the Captain asked, “Why is Hoshi the silent victim of terror?”

T’Pol told him, “Malcolm didn’t perform his job to perfection. Punishing his slave instead of him seemed a more efficient means of discipline that keeps him at his post.”

The captain threw down his napkin and raised a phaser at Malcolm before saying, “You swore that you’d never put her in any position that that would permanently leave marks.”

Malcolm snarled back, “You sold her to traders, who then sold her to Commander Tucker. You have no right to interfere with my property.”

The bloodshed was about to begin. Trip interfered by grabbing the phaser and Malcolm’s concealed dagger. He then said, “The Captain isn’t trying to reclaim her Malcolm.” He turned towards Archer before adding, “And the Captain respects other’s property rights.” He then told the pair of them, “Killing each other defeats our goals.”

The men appeared to regain their wits. Trip then said, “If it’s all right with you, Captain, I’d like to finish my report on the engine trouble.”

The captain nodded his assent. T’Pol watched him, her eyes full of unsaid questions. Did her husband to be fancy Hoshi?

Trip told himself that they could kill each other off later without him. He needed to set up his escape plan.

He set the devices in the Geoffrey’s Tubes. No one cared what he was up too. About an hour later Trip slid out of the tubes and right into a waiting T’Pol.

She said nothing. Instead she motioned for him to follow. He figured that she wanted the privacy of their rooms to speak.

She leads him down a hall where he could see Travis screaming in pain inside the agony booth. She turned backwards and said, “My preference is for his death of course.”

Trip asked concerned for his old friend that tried to kill him, “How long will he suffer?”

She answered, “You ordered the agony chamber. Once the optimum agony is achieved, then his punishment ends.”

She continued to walk down the hall towards his chambers again. He followed her inside. But once the door closed she turned and held a dagger at his throat. She simply told him, “I have orders to kill you now.”

He easily pushed her off him like she wasn’t really intending to fight with him before he asked, “Who?”

She answered him, “You swore on Vulcan that you would command Enterprise. The High Command believes that you lied to them.”

High command? He was in league with the scum of the universe? Before he answered she put the dagger down and continued, “But since we also planned on destroying the High Command in favor of our creation, I am willing to hear your new plan.”

He asked her, “What do you think my new plan is?”

She answered, “The captain is easy to control right now. You are planning on blaming the destruction of the military targets on Archer, killing him yourself, and creating our empire on the deception that we saved everyone from total destruction.”

His tongue wanted to reply ‘Machiavelli has nothing on you.’ But instead he replied in almost her own tone, “Appeasement from fear is easier to manipulate than constant fear.”

She took off her robes and stood naked before him as she told him, “Take advantages of opportunities, or they become your future enemies. You have considered my alternative. My only question, my future Caesar, is how do I fit into your life once we gain control?”

He gulped. She walked over to him and kissed him. But he didn’t kiss her back. He wasn’t her Trip. She didn’t want to give her suspicion away, so she whispered to him, “We are already bonded, the human marriage ceremony is what you wanted.”

He whispered back in her ear that looked and smelt so much like his T’Pol’s ear, “Our marriage after I get what I want will reunite us.” He wanted to get back to his time, his T’Pol, his life. The subterfuge on this ship was insane. How this ship was even built was a scary thought.

She stepped away from him and said, “You have work, my husband.”

He left his quarters as quickly as he could. The more time he spent with this T’Pol the more attracted to her he felt, and it almost felt like she was getting into his head. He needed to check the local field density for the two way matter transmission for the parallel universe. If the rate was moving, he could calculate how long before he could make his escape. If the rate was steady, he could get home soon. Otherwise plotting his escape was going to grow increasingly more difficult or even impossible.
~*~

After Trip left his quarters T’Pol found her robe and set about to discover what Trip was up to. She found his mathematical research on parallel universes. His locks on the data were simple deductions for her to calculate. And instantly her suspicions grow. Was it possible that the ion storm rematerialized the wrong Charles Tucker to this universe? And why hadn’t she figured out that Commander Tucker might not be her Commander Tucker before now?

Her best course of action was to follow him. She doesn’t know who he is anymore, and she needed to figure out what happened to her Trip. She wasn’t about to let this anomaly change their well laid plans.

~*~

Back on the regular Enterprise, Hoshi who was still feeling uncomfortable, interrupted the Captain and T’Pol’s discussion on Trip. She quickly explained, “There was a terrible earthquake on the planet. One of the major cities is reporting tremendous casualties.”

Archer couldn’t look at Ensign Sato but nodded. He told T’Pol, “Keep working on your calculations. I’ll be on the bridge if you come up with a solution.”

T’Pol’s attention was so focused on her PADD that she failed to notice that the Captain put his hand on Ensign Sato’s back. While the gesture meant nothing really, T’Pol tended to keep track of human acts.
~*~

Trip converted the coils in Engineering but needed to boost the power. He walked towards the computer area again, but T’Pol stood there holding a phaser at him.

He said nothing as she walked closer. Then when she was face to face with him, where he had the opportunity to grab for the phaser again she shocked him. She put her hands on his face and told him, “Your Mind to my mind. Your thoughts to my thoughts…” Trip would never have guessed she’d force a mindmeld.

T’Pol relived Trip’s day through the mindmeld. When she finally released her hold on him, she explained, “I needed to understand what happened to my Trip.”

He felt a little strange from her mind meld, but he asked her, “Will you help me return to my time?”

She looked him up and down. Every feature was the same. He looked, sounded, smelled, and felt like her Trip. The only difference was that this Trip was more in control of his emotions. With that slight difference, she wondered exactly how he was courting herself in a different time. Surely she wasn’t so different in her desires even in alternate realities. Either way she wanted her Trip back and not this, this different Trip that stood before her. She told him, “I will ensure that Malcolm is not watching his security protocols, but I will need your assistance as well.”

He was on edge when he asked, “What do you want me to do?”

She told him, “You will assist me in ensuring that Malcolm finds the Captain and Hoshi together. While Malcolm and the Captain argue, you will make your escape.”

He told her, “I don’t want Malcolm or the Captain killed.”

She explained, “I agree. The timing for anyone’s death isn’t beneficial to creating our empire. However the disagreement between senior officers will sow the necessary discontent amongst your people.”

He looked hard at the T’Pol standing in front of her before saying, “You are intriguing. A vicious pirate, but still intriguing.”

Her eyebrow shot up at his appraisal before she told him, “And you are too logical and reserved, but equally fascinating.”

He felt himself smile. His T’Pol would never accuse him of being logical.

~*~

A short while later T’Pol used the communicator and told him, “Report Commander.”

His work in engineering was almost complete. The only part of the plan that he couldn’t predict was how this plan would affect the other Trip in the other continuum. Somehow he felt that T’Pol would take care of the situation, but he still felt a slightly anxious. He finished his last connection before returning to the communication devise to answer, “All modifications are completed per your order.”

She didn’t respond. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to partake in her plan, but he saw no alternative. So he did as he was ordered and went in search of his oldest friend, the Captain.

Archer was in his quarters. Trip walked in with some drugged bourbon and asked, “We still watching the semis? On his ship, Wednesday night was usually water polo night.”

Archer nodded and answered, “I assumed you might be busy with your bride tonight.”

Trip told him, “We’re getting married, not dying. What man gives up sports night with the guys?”

Archer told him, “Come in then.”

Trip couldn’t believe that he was plotting against Archer in this universe. Minus the beard, the man was still acting like his best friend. Trip walked into the Captain’s room and showed him the bottle. He explained, “T’Pol sends her best.”

Archer found the glasses and poured himself a drink as the game was about to begin.

Trip watched the Captain holding his drink and asked, “You want Hoshi as your own personal slave, huh?”

The captain nearly spit out his first drink before answering, “I’ve thought about it.”

Trip then explained more seriously, “I think I can help you sir. But you’re going to have to help me out of a situation with the Vulcan High Command.”

Archer put his drink down unfinished and told Trip, “Go on.”

Trip was betraying T’Pol’s plan. But if he could just end these mind games without incident then no one would die after he left. He explained, “Hoshi is human and she has the right to choose for herself if you free her. Malcolm has no say since you are the captain. And besides that you can compensate him for his loss with more duties. Malcolm wants a ship to run perfectly far more than he wants a personal life. Also if you take control of Enterprise, breaking free from StarFleet and combat the Vulcan High Command with your knowledge of Sarek… and keep T’Pol and myself well funded, then you win the loyalty of your own crew. Think about it.”

Before Archer could respond, he started to feel the effect of the drugged Bourbon. Trip prayed that his insights would be heard after Archer woke up. Trip then did what he was told and pulled Archer to his bed.

A few minutes later, T’Pol entered the room easily carrying Hoshi over her shoulder. Trip told her, “You take it from here. I’m getting out of here.”

T’Pol dropped Hoshi and stopped Trip.

“Good bye.”

Her hand remained on his arm longer than necessary. He put his own hand on hers and told her, “Things may not be the same here. It’s more logical to work in a group where everyone trusts each other T’Pol. More can be accomplished through a group effort than single-handedly. The Captain might be more useful to your plans alive. Besides that historically has any empire survived long term?”

T’Pol again raised her eyebrow but didn’t respond. He finally pulled away from her and headed to the transporter.

After setting the controls to work automatically this one time he stepped onto the platform. “Please God let this work,” he said to himself just before beaming himself out,

The transporter again beamed him in and out, leaving him queasy. However when he rematerialized his T’Pol was standing in her red catsuit looking concerned.

She hesitantly asked him, “Trip?”

She then felt his joy and she could not help herself, walking right over to him and kissing him.

He was home. Her kiss was right. She was in his head. He put his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him, but the Captain walked into the transporter room.

Archer simply asked, “Everything back to normal now?”

T’Pol pulled away from Trip to answer, “We have corrected the time line sir.”

Trip asked them both, “How did you know that I wasn’t me?”

She told him, “It was obviously not you. You are not barbaric.”

She sensed his immediate thought that ‘he could be around her sometimes,’ but she didn’t respond.

The captain asked, “So what was the universe like commander?”

He told the captain, “The same but different. I was getting confused on the subterfuge though.”

Archer told him, “I expect a report in the morning.”

Trip nodded and asked in a smile, “Should I include your crush on Ensign Sato?”

Archer tensed up and left.

T’Pol turned once again towards Trip and told him, “I heard what you said during transport.”

Trip responded, “I man is allowed to pray when he might be beaming himself into oblivion.”

T’Pol shook her head no and responded, “Before the transporter accident, you admitted that you wanted to share your life with me.”

It was his turn to tense up. He told her, “I know that you don’t have feelings for me…”

She kissed him again on the lips to stop him from denying that she felt anything and then whispered to him, “We wouldn’t be bound if I didn’t share your concern.”

He was trying to understand her. Her own thoughts mingled with his own and he had his answer. She did love him. Her love was alien but it was definitely labeled love where he came from. She wanted children with him. Her own dreams were intermingled with his, but they were her wants. He then told her, “In the parallel universe, our counterparts are already engaged.”

T’Pol then told him, “Interesting, being barbaric has its moments of clarity. May I suggest…”

He stopped her from finishing and told her, “In my family, the man proposes to the lady.”

Her eyebrow raised as she capitulated and replied, “Fascinating.”

Then right there in the transporter room, Trip went down on one knee, held her hand in his own and asked her, “T’Pol will you do my the honor of becoming my wife.”

She looked down at him and responded, “It is only logical. In my culture we are already engaged.”

He stood up and asked, “We are?”

She nodded her head and said, “As time goes on our telepathic connection will go stronger. Our bonding cemented our relationship in my culture.”

Trip smiled. A few hours ago, he thought he’d never see her again. And now she was his fiancée. He asked her, “Should we continue this in your quarters?”

Before she could answer, he put his two fingers out as a gesture. She met his two fingers with her own and kissed him in the Vulcan tradition.

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Seven people have made comments

I get to be one of the first to make a comment! :)

Anyway, good story, reminds me a lot of TOS... and very sweet ending. :)

I particularly liked it that in the mirror 'verse Trip tried to mitigate any violence leading to the deaths of the other crew. I also liked how he left that T'Pol with something to think about regarding working together to achieve the best solution. One question, what does any of this have to do with the price of apples? Ali D :~)

Well done. A very good ST:Ent re-imaging of the original TOS mirror universe episode. Very clever.

Excellent. But, yeah, the apple thing kind of trailed off. Still. Great story, loved the "being barbaric has its moments of clarity" line. :)

I missed something. Why was Hoshi and Archer uncomfortable with each other in the regular universe? Good story by the way. I have TOS version on DVD. It's similar. You know that the rumor for "In a Mirror, Darkly" is that they will not touch TOS canon because they originally came upon the mirror universe in that time.

It was cute.

I'd like to see an extra chapter with the mirror trip and t'pol reuniting.