The Clue! EndingAuthor - Jack Daniel Higgins | C | Genre - Finale Fix Challenge | Rating - PG | T
Fan Fiction Main Page | Stories sorted by title, author, genre, and rating FIX the FINALE Challenge Enterprise: The Clue! Ending By Jack Daniel Higgins Rating: PG
 SEVERAL hours had passed since he had spoken with Captain Picard, and still Commander Riker found his thoughts wandering back to the NX-01 and the disjointed series of events that had marked its final voyage. There was something about what had happened... embellished though it might have been, it was all taken straight out of the history books... but there was something that didn't fit. Something wrong. The bond. It hit him like a lightning bolt. That was certainly in the history books as well: Commander T'Pol had been the first Vulcan in recorded history to share a telepathic mating-bond with a human (or any other species). A little-known detail at the time, but hardly forgotten in the centuries since. Their tragic love-story, after all, was an all-time favorite. They were Romeo and Juliet in real life. Deanna was sitting across the table from him, but it was obvious to Riker that she was paying more attention to his emotional state than to her food. Empathy... Riker momentarily wondered if it was anything like the telepathy that the famous tragic couple supposedly shared. "Something's bothering you," Counselor Troi said at last. "I just remembered something odd," said Riker. "Commander T'Pol and Commander Tucker supposedly shared a Vulcan matebond. The first ever to include a non-Vulcan, if I remember correctly." "That's what most historians speculate, yes," said Deanna. "What's odd about that?" "Well, Trip died," said Will. "You know as well as I do what happens to a Vulcan whose bonded mate dies, no matter what the species." Deanna nodded solemnly. "Severe depression, eventual dementia, and finally, death," she said quietly. "So... why didn't that happen to Commander T'Pol?" asked Riker. "I'm not sure," Deanna replied. "But I do know that Vulcan bonds can fade over time, if the two fall out of or separate for a great length of time." "Maybe," said Will, "but they both stayed on the NX-01 for ten years. And I certainly didn't get the impression that they had stopped feeling anything for each other. Still, it was just a holodeck recreation... I guess that version of the program left out the bond, but put in a little romance story to make things more emotional." "It makes you wonder what really happened," said Deanna. "Yes, it does..." said Will, who at that moment spotted Data walking by outside the mess. "...And I know who can tell us. Data!" "Commander?" The android walked into the mess hall and stopped in front of Counselor Troi and Commander Riker. "Data, how's your knowledge of obscure Starfleet history?" asked Will. "Quite complete, sir," said Data. "In fact, I made sure to read—" "Sorry," said Will, interrupting him, "but I just want to ask you a question. What happened to Commander T'Pol, after the Vulcan-Andoria alliance was signed?" "According to historical records, she remained in Starfleet for six months, and then went on medical leave for undisclosed reasons. She reportedly died less than one year later, cause unknown, but historians speculate that it involved emotional trauma due to the death of Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III, a mere six years after the loss of her daughter, Elizabeth Tucker II, and her mother, T'Les." "Well I guess that answers your question," said Deanna sadly. "I guess so," said Will. "History is rarely as kind as the storybooks." "It's like they really were Romeo and Juliet," said Deanna. "Star-crossed lovers, but fated to die." "That is the official version of the story," said Data. "However, there were many rumors to the contrary." "Rumors?" asked Deanna. "Conspiracy theories," Data clarified, "stating that one or both of them in fact survived. Serious historians tend to dismiss such theories, however there is evidence on both sides of the debate." "Well, this I've got to hear," said Riker, for once willing to hear Data explain something at length. •—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•  COMMANDER T'Pol had just announced the intruder alert, and saw Malcolm heading off to organize the ship's security forces. T'Pol briefly weighed her options, and decided that the most logical course of action to follow would be to aid Lieutenant Commander Reed in securing the ship. And so, she followed him towards the armory with the intention of retrieving a phase rifle. Normally, a Vulcan would seek to avoid unnecessary violence, but this was hardly a normal situation. The captain and Commander Tucker were in immediate danger... Commander Tucker. When, T'Pol wondered, had he stopped being 'Trip'? It was true... she missed him, a great deal. Their bond was no stronger or weaker than it had been six years ago, but after the death of little Elizabeth, she and Trip had simply never been able to work things out. They reminded one another of their lost daughter too much. When they were together, rather than being comforted, they were continually reminded of painful memories. And so for six years, they had danced around the issues between them, silently ignoring any romantic feelings that they might have still had for each other. Their friendship had never been comfortable ever again. Even the dreams faded with time. And then it happened. A wave of nausea spread through T'Pol, causing her to double over and collapse in the corridor. Malcolm stopped in his tracks and whirled to help her. "T'Pol?" She vaguely thought that someone was calling her name, but could do nothing to reply. There was so much pain, both psychic and physical, coursing into her mind and body through the bond she shared with Trip. And just before she blacked out, she screamed. •—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—• When T'Pol came to, she found herself in sickbay. Trip was nearby... she could sense him, barely clinging to life. Swinging her legs over the side of the bio-bed, she attempted to stand, but swooned. Then, Phlox was there, placing a hand on her arm to steady her. "Easy, Commander. The only thing you need right now is rest." "Need," growled T'Pol, her voice slurring with sickness and fatigue. "What I need is to see Trip." "Quite impossible, I'm afraid," said Phlox. "He must remain within the hyperbaric chamber, or he will die! He is nearly dead as it is." "I know," said T'Pol. "That is why I must see him!" With all the strength she could muster, she pushed Phlox away and moved to the chamber where Trip was currently entombed. Her emotional control was slipping, desperation replacing illness and driving her actions. She moved her hand to the controls and started to open the chamber. "Commander, you must cease this at once!" said Phlox, rushing to stop her, but T'Pol gave another growl, a deep, animalistic noise, and pushed Phlox away again, more violently this time. How dare this strange male try to keep her from her mate when he was in danger... The chamber opened, and rather than waiting for the pallet to extend, she climbed inside and crawled over Trip. Her mind only passingly registered the scars and burns on his face. How she had missed him... "T'Pol." A single word escaped his lips, so soft that only Vulcan hearing could've noticed it. Or perhaps she only heard it in her mind. Either way, it mattered not. "Do not speak," said T'Pol tenderly. "I am here... Trip." His eyes opened, and T'Pol felt her emotions finally break free with their full force. Tears welled in her own eyes, and she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips that quickly deepened. His life force was slipping away... he was dying, she could feel it, and unless she succeeded here, she would soon follow him. Ambassador Soval had been the one to instruct T'Pol in the art of melding. Her lessons had been completed years ago, but still, she was uncertain. T'Pol's study of the Kir'shara had brought to light many ancient techniques that had been lost to Vulcan, including one that Soval had never attempted... but she did not know if she could perform it successful, and now everything was at stake. She had to take Trip's katra. Her fingers found the contact points on Trip's face, and she felt their mental connection deepen. «Trip... Trip... I will remember!" And at last, T'Pol felt his human katra, his "soul", respond to her presence in his mind. «T'Pol... remember... remember...» •—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—• T'Pol stiffened as Archer suddenly turned around and embraced her, a human gesture she had come to know as a "hug", in this case meant to convey a sense of friendship and mutual comfort in their grief. She realized, as Captain Archer walked off to give his speech, that he still thought she was grieving. «That was a pretty touchin' moment, just then.» «You do not mind that the captain 'hugged' me?» «Naw. He was just bein' himself. Ya'know, there've been a whole heckuvalot of touchin' moments since I went and got myself blown up... I'm pretty sure that I'm the first human to watch his own funeral from inside his girlfriend's head.» «Blowing yourself up was very foolish, even if it did save the captain's life.» «Yeah, well, I guess I just panicked. Sorry... I mean, I almost died, and now you've got my marbles rattlin' around in your brain with nowhere ta put 'em.» « It is possible to merge your soul with a body again, if one can be found. I shall speak to Phlox tomorrow about creating another simulacrum.» «What? No! Just... no! We just can't do that again!» «I can, and if it means having you back, I will do so!» «You know, you don't really have to... I mean, I'm still here with ya, right?» «I can hear you, but I cannot see you, cannot touch you. It is not enough. It would be illogical to go on this way when alternatives exist.» «Alternatives? Oh, yeah, sure, like I just came down with a bad case of death, but you can call the doctor and have me cured right up. Sure. Look, T'Pol, I know you can see and touch in here — we've been bonded for more'n six years, remember? Just close yer eyes, darlin'.» T'Pol did so, and the sound of Jonathan Archer's voice and the applause of the crowds faded away... and there, Trip stood before her in the middle of a vast white space. "I thought you'd like it here," he said. "Where you come to meditate, right?" "Indeed," said T'Pol, taking a couple of tentative steps towards Trip. She reached out a hand... and he took it placed it against his cheek. He felt real. "Is that all you can do here? Meditate, I mean?" "It is all I have ever done before." "Well... you're a scientist, I'm an engineer... let's do what we do best. Experiment." •—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•
"I guess that can go in the report," said Archer. "Let's see... alien intruders, an explosion... are we forgetting anything else?" "Yes," said T'Pol. "A motive. Why would aliens attack Enterprise?" "Oh, I'll cook something up," said Archer. "Hey, Shran, maybe it can involve you and that daughter of yours?" "Whatever you want, Pinkskin," said the Andorian. "I'll go along with whatever story you finally decide on. In fact, let me write it. I'll make sure it accounts for the delay in your return to Earth." Archer sighed. No doubt, whatever story Shran invented would undoubtedly be just crazy enough that no one on Earth would ever suspect anyone of making it up. And all to cover his two senior officers' secret defection, no less... "I can assure you that Section 31 will see to it that all the proper evidence is in place," said Malcolm to Trip, shaking his friend's hand and then pulling him into a quick back-slapping hug. "Nobody will suspect a thing." "Thanks, Mal... I can't tell ya what this means to us," said Trip. "Indeed," said T'Pol. "We are in your debt." She looked at Captain Archer, Commander Shran, and all the officers and crewmen who had assembled in the transporter room to see the Tuckers off. She greatly disliked the notion that they might never see one another again... but this was necessary. She and Trip had to leave, for their lives were not their own to risk. Terra Prime was still active on Earth. Even after six years, the movement existed, small and unpopular though it was. Criminals and terrorists, but still, they were dangerous enough that if Trip and T'Pol returned to Earth together, they might never be safe. And surely, Elizabeth never would be. Their six-year-old daughter, as healthy as any pure Vulcan or human child, was playing with Shran's little daughter. Her existence had been kept a tightly guarded secret these past years, to ensure her safety in case Terra Prime ever sought to do her harm. Elizabeth Tucker II was known only to the crew of Enterprise and to Trip Tucker's parents, who had spent their time aboard the ship with Trip, T'Pol, and little Lizzie the last time that they had been to Earth. Now, though, with Enterprise due to decommission, hiding in space and keeping their marriage and their family a secret from Earth was no longer an option. And so, Trip and T'Pol had decided to disappear into quiet anonymity. They had chosen to remain on Andoria, for the time being, anyway. It would be good for Elizabeth, at least, to be near a friend her own age. Jonathan stepped forward and placed a hand each on Trip's and T'Pol's shoulders. "I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss all three of you... you've been the best officers, and the best friends that a man could ask for. And Elizabeth..." he knelt down in front of the girl, who gave the captain her rapt attention. "You've been the best part of life on Enterprise for the last six years. Everyone's going to miss you so much!" Elizabeth jumped up and hugged the captain. "I love you, Uncle Jon." And she proceeded to make her rounds, saying goodbyes to Phlox, Malcolm, Hoshi, Travis, Anna, and everyone else who had been a part of her short life growing up on the Earth starship. At last, the goodbyes were finished, and they no longer had an excuse to drag them out further and remain on Enterprise. And so, Trip, T'Pol, and their daughter; and Shran and his daughter, all stepped onto the transporter pad. T'Pol gave a nod, and Trip and Elizabeth waved as the beam covered them all and they vanished from sight... and history. Fin. Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS! A whole mess of folks have made commentsYep, that is the way it really happened!! I agree hey i just decided this is what really happened! what a coincidence! certainly what i saw on tv has just been some hallucination caused by poisonous vegetables... or bad writers... ( denial, denial. ) yes. this is what really happened. both fantastically written and superblously thought up. i like the fact you added shran to it so much. thats nice. also, the making up his own death was brilliant, as much as amusing. this just kicked me outta the somberness of that piece of crap i spent a valuable hour on. Good! A very satisfying resolution to what I had feared was an un-fixable episode. Thanks! Ooooh that was sooo good. Read it on ff.net. Glad it was sent here. This is great--love the multiple resolutions, each has merit. The last one is my favorite--love them all plotting together and it does explain why none of the others seemed to be missing Trip at the ceremony! Thank you. The second one was a cool idea. Taking Trip into her head like Spock put himself in the doc. By the way, I hope you plan to finish your cross over with Battlestar. I am really looking forward to the next chapter of that. Yipe that is the way it truly happened. Any chance of getting Paramount to agree. Hey who cares what they think as they couldn't care less what we think as proven by the awful finale that they showed us. Enjoyed your version so much more. Wow, all were fantastic. Have to say I preferred the last one of course. Really well written. Thank you. That's a great idea. Woohoo! That's more like it! I like those old-timey boxes, they're kinda cool! Could there, you know, be a sequel, sorta, maybe? Please? Loved it! :) The first was a nice ending and in keeping with star trek canon, the second was a little too implausible. I finally brought myself to watch the final episode of Enterprise the 2 days ago(after swearing to myself that for me, the series would finish with Terra Prime!) I think that in doing the above B&B (or more likely MC)left some room a comeback if necessary. i sooooo agree with nemesis!!! Awesome! Ya know, it was just weird how Trip was behaving, and how they shoved him into the chamber, ner to be seen again. Not even a goodbye scene with T'pol! I smell a rat! *sniff sniff* I had to laugh when I read "This Is What Really Happened" :-P. Great job. ^_^ Like the three mini-stories, *love* the pictures. I liked #2 the best because I have a story idea a bit like that--so don't think I stole your idea if I post my story here, LOL! All-around, a pretty good mix of pretty good stories. You gonna continue any of them, or was this just a catharsis of sorts and now you're done? Personally, I hope you write a sequel or three! Emily I agree with Nemesis that B&B left room for a comeback. After all we never actually saw Trip dead, did we? They always ended the seasons on cliffhangers, remember? I loved your 3 scenarios. I also wondered how T'Pol could have lived on for years after Trip's death with that Vulcan bond. Sequel, please! |