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Behind Blue Eyes

Author - Kevin | B | Genre - Action/Adventure | Genre - Angst | Genre - Finale Fix Challenge | Genre - Romance | Rating - R
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FIX the FINALE

Behind Blue Eyes

by Kevin

Rating: R (language and adult situations)
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned within this text are the sole property of Paramount Studios, UPN, and Viacom. I intend no infringement.
Genre: Fix the Finale Fic Challenge
Summary: Commander Tucker has a difficult choice to make and his choice affects people he could never have imagined.

Author’s Note: This story follows my normal conventions. Text in “” is English conversation. Text in ** “” ** is Vulcan conversation translated to English. Text in ( ) is TnT bond conversation. Text in italics is inner thoughts.

While I was trying to get from Point A to Point B, MissAnnThropic posted the excellent, We Grieve. In honor of the story, I used the same name for Trip’s mom.

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December 31, 2154

“Hey, T’Pol, mind if I come in?”

“Not at all.” Trip had been avoiding her since learning of their bond three days ago. He knelt across from her on the extra meditation pillow she set out for him. Earlier she felt him debate whether he would stop by this evening. She knew it was a special Earth holiday and he wanted to spend it with her.

“I was wondering if you wanted to join me in an old Earth celebration.”

“I do not understand the New Year custom. Why is this midnight more significant than any other?”

He grinned at her. “I’m not sure I fully understand it either. Basically you reflect on where you want to take your life and make resolutions on what to change in the next year.”

“And have you formulated any resolutions?” She already knew he had.

“You know I have, don’t you?”

“Yes. I believe your resolution to not hide your true feelings from me is an interesting choice.”

“You know, it might help if you made that one too.” He grinned at her.

“Given the nature of our bond, I am not sure I understand the purpose behind adopting a resolution that is already met. We can no longer hide our true feelings from each other.”

She had not understood his reaction upon learning about their bond. He tried to convince her the bond was ‘no big deal,’ but she knew differently. She remembered him act unmoved by their kiss after she admitted she wanted him to stay. Initially, each enjoyed the exquisite, but brief touch. He smirked at her and rubbed his thumb across his chin as his fear washed over him.

“I do not understand why this revelation frightens you. I would have thought after your behavior this past year, you would welcome this. You now know how important you are to me. There can no longer be any doubt about that.”

“I guess I’m just scared about something I don’t understand. I can’t tell if what I am feeling is me or something from you. Two days ago in engineering I could see both the panel in front of me and the one in front of you. I felt us coming to the same conclusion. I also knew you were in danger on the bridge. When you’re near, it’s like there are two people in my head.”

“In time we will learn to adjust. It appears that due to the differences between our two peoples, the bond will be disorienting until we learn to control it.”

“Are you sure this is what you want? I can’t imagine what it’s like for you to be in my head. It has to be a mess in there.” She knew he was teasing her with that last part.

“It is difficult.”

He laughed at her admission. “I still find the timing interesting.” She had informed him of the bond exactly one year after they were intimate.

“So do I. But I assure you the date was merely coincidence. If you had not avoided my earlier questioning, we might have found out about the bond sooner.”

“I still don’t understand why we didn’t know about this before. You said it probably formed a year ago. Why didn’t we know about it then?”

“I think it began over a year ago with our sexual encounter. But I believe our time together after strengthened it.” She decided to make good on her resolution. “I first suspected it when you were dying of the virus. I was sure I could feel you slipping away from me. In fact, for a couple of minutes I no longer felt you at all. I was certain you had died.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“I was overcome with emotion when I found out you were alive. I could not maintain my control around you. I assumed it was due to my inability to meditate for eleven days. I was struggling--I still am--with what it means to be Vulcan. Discovering the Kir’shara and the corruption of the Vulcan High Command forced me to reevaluate all that I had been taught. At that point, I was sure about very little in my life.”

“I know. I still don’t understand why we couldn’t work through it together.”

“Your presence is distracting. It is difficult for me to focus when you are near. I needed to deal with my newfound perspective. I could not do that…”

“With an emotional human around. I just wish you had told me. I could have dealt with that if I knew you intended to get back together later. I would’ve given you plenty of time to sort things out. You’re worth waiting for. But if we were already bonded, why didn’t the daydreams start until after I left for Columbia?”

“Our parting was painful for us. We both were in denial about our situation. I believe our subconscious minds sought out the other to relieve the pain of our separation. I regret that I denied reality for so long. I might have saved each of us a great deal of discomfort. When I observed that you were unaffected by the Orion women’s pheromones, I could no longer deny that I had chosen you as my mate, albeit subconsciously. It was the only logical explanation for why we could communicate when I was meditating and why you were unaffected by their pheromones.”

He sighed. This was a lot to take in. “You know, why don’t we just sit here and ring in the New Year. I need a chance to absorb all of this.”

“Agreed.” He reached out his hand to hers. She intertwined her fingers with his. She could tell he was still scared of what the bond meant. She did understand better the celebration of the New Year now. The previous year was one she preferred to leave in the past. She looked toward the new one with anticipation.

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T’Pol sat in her quarters trying to put off meditating just a little longer. She needed to maintain her shield as long as possible. She needed to wait until she knew Trip would be asleep. She needed to meditate in order to rest. The signing ceremony for the Coalition of Planets was the next day and she was exhausted. Things were going badly between her and Trip and she had difficulty meditating the past few days.

She accepted what the bond meant. She had chosen him as her mate. She had spent a year denying that fact. She had continued denying that until the experience with the Orion women removed all shred of doubt. To continue to deny its existence in the face of irrefutable proof was illogical. She regretted not coming to that conclusion sooner. The current situation was a direct result of her actions.

He had not reacted to the bond in the same way. But it was not surprising.

He was angry. Angry at her for doing this to him. Angry at himself for letting her. He was scared. He still did not believe she really wanted him. He was scared she would eventually hurt him just like so many times before. He still wanted her though. Sometimes so bad he ached. Internally he was at war with himself. He didn’t understand.

T’Pol was experiencing a bond in which one of the parties did not wish it. She could not imagine anything more painful than this. At first, his emotions raged at her and she could barely function on the bridge. She had taken the drastic measure of shielding her mind from him during her duty shift. Shielding herself from her bond mate was painful but that pain was tolerable and could be controlled. The problem was she could not maintain the shield much longer than twelve hours and by then she would be too spent to offer any resistance to his emotional assault.

If Trip was awake when that happened, his fear and anger would wash over her. She would be reminded of the pain she caused. There was nothing she could do to stop it. If he was asleep, she would experience his dreams. That meant she tried to delay meditating as long as possible. The dreams had been the easier of the two to control. But the strain of shielding herself from him during the day and experiencing his various dreams at night was exhausting her. Each day became more difficult than the previous.

She could not maintain the shield any longer. Her mind was crying out for her bond mate. It was pounding against the shield trying to reach him. She had to succumb to its demand. She felt herself go limp as she gave up the strain.

Some time later, she had no idea how long, she sat shaking with desire. Tonight he had an intensely erotic dream about them. It was more explicit than even their one actual time together. Her ears felt like they were on fire. Her nipples throbbed. Her underwear was soaked. She knew that if she went to his quarters, he would surrender to his desire. She could force him. He would not be able to resist her. But she could not do that. Not again. She had done that once before and they had wound up in this situation.

Not this time. He would have to take possession of her for their second encounter. If he did not, they would have to return to Vulcan. She would not hold him against his will even if it meant she could never take another mate.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

February 2, 2155

“You’re late.” He scowled at her.

“I had to attend the funeral for that abomination. You know they named the damned thing? Called it Elizabeth after his sister.”

“Why didn’t you contact us about the assault team?”

“I couldn’t. Archer ordered radio silence. If I had contacted you, they would have known it immediately and cut us off. I did everything I could to delay them but that was all I could do.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Okay, I guess. This didn’t work out like we planned, but it helped us anyway. Our support is growing. Paxton became a martyr to the cause.” He paused to look at her. “You’ve helped us a great deal. We need you to continue your work aboard Enterprise.”

“I will… Terra Prime forever.”

“Terra Prime forever.”

He watched her walk away. “Good luck…”

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Kathleen became even more concerned about her son as she heard Trip come down the stairs. He had arrived at their new home three days ago with nothing more than the clothes on his back. The look on his face reminded her of the time just after Elizabeth was murdered. Any time either she or Charlie tried to talk to him, he just withdrew. He rarely came out of his room and then usually only to sit on the back porch and stare off to the west.

Just moments ago Charlie had opened the door to greet Commander T’Pol. Trip had told them about her and Charlie recognized her immediately from the pictures Trip shared of the Enterprise’s bridge officers. She had assumed that if anyone from Enterprise came looking for Trip, it would be Jonathan Archer. Instead, the Vulcan first officer arrived. She thought it was odd to send a non-human in search of her son after the recent problems with xenophobia.

Even stranger, Trip came down the stairs to greet Miss T’Pol before Charlie even let him know she arrived. They did not hear the taxi and his room faced the opposite direction, so she had no idea how he knew she had arrived.

Kathleen heard Charlie head up stairs. She raised her head away from preparing supper. Although they were three rooms away, they stood in exactly the right place for her to observe them in the hall mirror. She wondered if she was seeing things as she watched the two approach each other in an embrace. She was mystified as the Vulcan woman allowed Trip to gather her in his arms and hold tightly. Even more so when Miss T’Pol buried her head in his chest and seemed to hold on to him just as tightly. She knew that Vulcans were maniacal about their personal space and refused to display emotion. Something very bad must have happened in order to cause what she just witnessed.

Later that night before getting ready for bed, Kathleen walked onto the back patio where her son and Miss T’Pol had been sitting alone. She made enough noise to ensure both heard her approach. “It’s getting late. Miss T’Pol, you’re welcome to stay the night. I’ll get out the air mattress for Trip. You can sleep in the guest room while he takes the living room.”

She saw her son look into the eyes of Miss T’Pol. She nodded back at him.

“Mom, you don’t have to do that.”

“But it’s late. Miss T’Pol will have a hard time getting a shuttle back to Enterprise at this time of night.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant you don’t have to get the air mattress out.”

“Why not?” And then it hit her. Miss T’Pol was more than just his colleague. Oh my God.

Trip was certain his mother had just figured out what he was saying. “Mom, why don’t we go inside. Let’s get dad. The four of us need to talk.”

Kathleen had a pretty good idea what the four of them were about to discuss. She was certain that her son and Miss T’Pol had become involved romantically. She was his commanding officer. That wouldn’t sit well with Starfleet. Her heart sank as her mind raced. Maybe he was forced to choose between Starfleet and her? That would explain Trip showing up without his uniform. It might also explain this afternoon.

“I’ll go get Charlie. You two just stay right here.”

She was pretty sure her husband was asleep. Minutes later she got confirmation.

“Charlie, wake up. Trip and Miss T’Pol need to talk to us. Wake up.”

Charlie looked at her as he tried to wake up. “What? Talk to us about what?”

“I think they are going to tell us they are dating. Trip told me they would share his room tonight. I can’t believe it could be anything else. She’s Vulcan.”

Charlie’s look told her he was as stunned as she was.

“Come on sleepy head, let’s get down there.”

Charlie and Kathleen sat next to each other on their couch. Trip stood behind Miss T’Pol. He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. She neither drew away nor showed any discomfort at his touch. In fact, Kathleen swore she actually leaned back toward her son.

“Mom, dad, T’Pol and I are kind of married.”

Kathleen heard her husband slightly gasp. “What do you mean son? You can’t be ‘kind of married’, you either are or you aren’t.”

“Well dad, it’s kind of complicated…”

Kathleen had no idea what to make of this.

“Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, I think I may be able to explain. Trip and I have not performed either a human or a Vulcan marriage ceremony. In that sense we are not married.”

“Well in what sense are you then?”

“When Vulcan’s select a mate, a telepathic bond forms between them. This bond allows them to share each other’s experiences and emotions. It allows them to also perceive their mate’s needs. Trip and I have formed such a bond.”

Kathleen asked the obvious question, “but my son isn’t Vulcan. How could this have happened?”

“We’re not completely sure mom but it has. We know what’s going on inside each other’s heads. That’s why I said we’re kind of married. Vulcan law doesn’t require a ceremony to recognize the marriage. It recognizes the marriage if a bond exists.”

Kathleen was sure all of this had become too much for her husband when he blurted out, “but you haven’t said you love each other. How can you be married just because some Vulcan thing’s going on in your head?” Her husband embarrassed her.

Fortunately she didn’t see any negative reaction from either Trip or Miss T’Pol.

“Dad, I do love her. More than anything.”

She looked at the face of Miss T’Pol. “Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, I return your son’s affection. His presence in my life is very important.”

Kathleen could swear the two began to relax and even seemed to cheer up. Or at least as much as the Vulcan woman before her could.

“This seems like happy news. I don’t understand why you were so depressed when you showed up. And why didn’t you show up with Miss T’Pol? Is there a problem with Starfleet since she is your commanding officer?”

“No, no one knows about this except the four of us. We only found out about it a couple months ago. There is more.”

More? How much more?

“You know that human/Vulcan child that was on the news?”

“Yeah, the one they said was a hoax.”

“She wasn’t a hoax. She really did exist and she was a human/Vulcan baby.”

Kathleen’s eyes got wide with fright. “You got Miss T’Pol pregnant and had a baby?”

“No Mom, T’Pol’s never been pregnant. But she was our child.”

“Then how?”

“Terra Prime had someone on Enterprise. They took some DNA samples from T’Pol and I and used a cloning process to make her. So T’Pol and I were her biological parents…”

Kathleen saw the expression on her son’s face change. It became closer to the one he had when he first arrived. His voice was shaking. The use of the word ‘were’ was not good.

T’Pol took over for Trip. “The doctor who performed the procedure made a mistake. The resulting DNA combination was flawed. Elizabeth T’Mir died five days ago.”

Kathleen saw the tears stream down her son’s face. He pulled a picture from his breast pocket and handed it to her. “Here’s a picture I took before we found out she was going to die.”

The picture stunned Kathleen in two ways. The most obvious was the small baby with distinctly Vulcan ears and the bluest eyes you could imagine. She remembered those eyes from when Trip was born. The second was Kathleen recognized T’Pol was holding the child in a way only a mother would. Today had forced her to change her whole perception of Vulcans. Or at least of the one who was now her daughter-in-law. There was no ‘kind of’ about it. She was certain of that.

“Mom, dad, you can’t talk about this to anyone outside of the four of us though. Starfleet insists on making sure people thinks she was a hoax. T’Pol and I also can’t get married officially. People can’t even know for sure about us. Not even Jon. It would put him in a tough spot.”

“I understand honey.” Kathleen was overcome and before she realized what she was doing had pulled Miss T’Pol into a hug. “Welcome to the family T’Pol. I am so sorry about your loss.” She initially felt the small woman stiffen but then relax. Before she had realized it, T’Pol had placed her arms gently around Kathleen. It wasn’t much of a hug, but it was a start.

The next morning Kathleen heard footsteps descend the stairs. They were too soft to be her son’s. And far too early. He was never awake at 5am. She turned to watch T’Pol head to the kitchen. She was quite a sight in this morning’s attire. She wasn’t sure what to make of the petite Vulcan woman wearing one of Trip’s T-shirts and a pair of his cargo shorts. Like her son, she had appeared on their doorstep with nothing but her uniform and a scarf covering her head.

On the other hand, she was happy to see T’Pol’s eyes looking clearer this morning. She looked much better than when she had arrived. Kathleen only hoped her son would show the same level of improvement.

“On Vulcan, it is customary for guests to prepare the morning meal. Trip helped prepare meals for my mother. I should return the gesture.”

Kathleen wasn’t sure she wanted to share her kitchen. Even if T’Pol was her daughter-in-law. “You don’t have to do that T’Pol honey. Charlie and Trip like a traditional breakfast. I’ll bet you don’t know how to fix eggs and sausage.”

“You are correct. But I must insist that I help in some way.”

Kathleen thought about what she could have T’Pol do. She doubted the young woman knew her way around a human kitchen. “Let’s surprise the boys with fresh orange juice. We’ll have some toast together. Eggs and sausage is just too much for me.”

Kathleen showed T’Pol how to make fresh orange juice and toast. She was shocked to find that T’Pol also preferred peanut butter to jam on her toast.

After they had finished their breakfast, Kathleen saw that T’Pol remained in the kitchen while she made the sausage. “You know T’Pol, you and Trip are welcome to stay here as long as you like. I know what it’s like to lose a daughter.”

“Thank you Mrs. Tucker. I believe time spent here will help Trip greatly. He has not eaten or slept regularly in five days.”

Kathleen wondered how she knew that. I wonder if it has something to do with that Vulcan bond they talked about last night. “If you like, we can go out shopping today. We can get you some clothes that fit instead of wearing Trip’s stuff.”

“What I am wearing is acceptable. I am not sure your being seen shopping with me would be wise at this time.”

Kathleen had almost forgotten she was Vulcan. It almost seemed natural to have her as a daughter-in-law. “Don’t worry about me. But if you are happy with what you are wearing, that is fine. I can wash your uniform if you want to change into that later. I’ll do it this morning after we get the boys breakfast.”

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Travis watched as Commander Tucker and Commander T’Pol entered the mess hall, got breakfast and sat down together as far away from everyone else as possible. Trip disappeared just over three weeks ago and he couldn’t remember seeing T’Pol around much after that. Early this morning Captain Archer had him pick both of them up at the New Orleans spaceport. After exchanging a quick greeting, they returned to the ship in silence.

He couldn’t believe the Captain’s request that everyone give them a wide berth was all that necessary. Although the Captain wouldn’t confirm anything, the whole ship knew by now the baby was Trip and T’Pol’s. Rumors were they adopted her as their own and didn’t care she was created in some lab. After the rumors about them while in the Expanse, his going to Vulcan when they got home, his leaving Enterprise and almost immediately returning and both of their resistance to the Orion women, none could deny something serious between the two. He wondered if they had taken the three weeks to get married. He hoped not, he wanted to attend the ceremony himself.

Later that afternoon T’Pol lie on top of Trip listening to his steady heartbeat and tracing lazy circles on his chest. The Captain had not cleared them for duty so T’Pol invited Trip to her quarters to meditate. As soon as they were alone, she attacked him in a sexual frenzy and they made love all morning and into the afternoon. Neither was completely sated but they were too exhausted to continue. She slowly ground herself against his thigh. It wasn’t enough to push her over the top but it was enough to keep her at a low simmer until they gathered enough strength to go another round.

“Wow! I can’t believe that was only our second time together. You’re amazing!”

She blushed partially in embarrassment and partially in pride. “The bond allows me to determine what brings you the most pleasure. I can feel your need and it drives my need for you.”

“I’m still not sure what happened. Where in the hell did that come from?”

“We had not been intimate since recognizing the bond. During our mind meld each evening I could feel your building desire. But I could also sense your reluctance to engage in sexual intercourse at your parent’s house. Finally your desire had become too much for me to bear. I had to relieve your need. It took all of my control to wait until we returned to Enterprise.”

“I doubt you needed a mind meld tell that. I imagine my erection poking you every night was all you needed. So basically my being a horny skunk caused this?”

“I believe so. A Vulcan female is compelled through the bond to satisfy her mate’s Pon’Farr. I would assume in this case, I am compelled to satisfy your… more frequent sexual needs.” She gave him an evil grin as she traced her finger along the shaft of his penis.

He returned her evil grin. “What you’re saying is that you’ll give me sex whenever I want it?”

“Well, within reason of course.”

He chuckled, he knew what she meant. “Don’t worry, there is no way I could ever have sex in public.”

He thought about it for a bit. “You know, this seems kind of one sided. Don’t you have any needs that I’ll feel compelled to meet? So far I haven’t felt any.”

There was one thing but she was not sure how to tell him. From her understanding of human relations it was not an insignificant difference. She was not sure how he would react. She could tell he already felt guilty about it. He did not fully understand her need as a Vulcan female, even though he met it.

“There is one thing. I am not sure you recognize it though. A Vulcan female needs to feel possessed by her mate. Until you began feeling like I was your possession, I was not secure in our relationship.”

“You mean I’m not supposed to feel guilty about that? I felt like crap thinking of you that way.” He remembered the change happening while at his parents’ house. One day he could no longer resist thinking of her as ‘his woman’. He was a bit ashamed at thinking of such a sophisticated, elegant person in that way. But there was this part of him that kept saying She’s mine. Mine, mine, mine. It was just so primal. Not an appropriate thought about someone like her at all.

“Yes. That is important to my security. You are responding to my need to be possessed. The bond is no longer unpleasant. It assures me that I am yours. You must not feel guilty about your response. I am now comforted by it.”

She could tell he was not convinced. He felt guilty viewing her as his possession. He continued to judge everything through his own cultural norms. She was reluctant to lecture her mate, but saw no other recourse. He rarely would objectify other cultures as she had tried to teach him.

“Trip, this is one of those important differences between our cultures. You cannot look at this through your value system. For as long as I lived in my mother’s house, she taught me that every Vulcan female has the right to be possessed by her mate. You have taken possession of me, as is my right. I am your female. You will never show interest in another. You will never allow another male to touch me. It is important for you to understand how much comfort that brings me.”

What she described sounded almost like the Vulcan equivalent of love. Trip felt a bit better about that. Knowing it was important to T’Pol removed his guilt. If knowing ‘she was his female’ was important to T’Pol, he would remind her of it every chance he got. She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek across his chest as he whispered to her, “you’re mine. Mine, mine, mine.”

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March 5, 2155

She looked across the mess hall at Trip. He looked so tired and sad. She wasn’t sure whether to feel pity for him or feel he has got what he deserved. That bitch has manipulated him just like they manipulate the rest of us. He used to be happy. Now he just looks pathetic. Paxton should have made an example of him. T’Pol’s slowly killing him.

Trip sat thinking about what T’Pol had told him yesterday. She had admitted their first sexual encounter was at least partially due to her Trellium addiction. She also admitted part of it was so he would not choose Amanda Cole instead. He winced as he felt his throat. He was so angry they screamed at each other in his office until their voices were hoarse. He was ashamed to admit he spent the rest of the day snapping at his crewmen. He would have to make it up to them today. He was pretty unfair to at least three of them.

She remembered Lt. Hess telling her about Trip’s and T’Pol’s argument yesterday. They had a knock down drag out screaming match in his office. Hess insisted it lasted over an hour. Trip left first and spent the rest of the shift jumping on his crew for any little mistake, real or perceived. The strangest thing was T’Pol’s reaction. Hess claimed she left his office no less than fifteen minutes later. T’Pol looked like she had been crying but that couldn’t be right. Vulcan’s can’t cry.

Trip wondered if the Captain had heard about the incident. He cornered Trip just outside of T’Pol’s quarters and asked if everything was okay with the two of them. He remembered the look Archer gave him when he told him they had a disagreement the day before but had already resolved it. He wondered if the Captain heard them as he introduced T’Pol to the concept of ‘make up sex’. Multiple times. At least so far he seems willing to ignore the obvious. He has to know something’s going on with us. I doubt he just happened to be outside her quarters as I left.

Her pity for him soon dissipated though as she watched him visibly cheer up when T’Pol entered the mess hall and joined him. He’s just like her little puppy. I know she’s done something to him. That’s why the Orions couldn’t affect him. He’s under the bitch’s control. Maybe he’ll get lucky and someone will put him out of his misery. Of course with his luck on away missions, he’ll probably take care of it himself.

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Stardate 47457.3

Picard sat pondering his first officer’s revelation. Will told him he had actually consulted a holo-novel for advice on what he should do about the Pegasus. For the first time he could recall, he was disappointed in Will’s judgment. Even the best holo-novels were barely accurate and one based so long ago was mostly fiction. Picard knew this particular one was a complete work of fiction. He was certain Will did too.

His only hope was that Will simply used the time to delay making the difficult choice he knew was correct from the start.

Hopefully, in the future, Deanna will not have him consult replicated tealeaves or chicken entrails.

The chime to his quarters sounded. She arrived promptly.

Picard watched her approach and then sit down. “Will accessed the holo-novel about the NX-01’s final days before being put in storage. He told me he found inserting himself as chef helped him.”

Her look of concern was not a complete surprise but it did worry him. He almost never saw her worried. “Do you think he knows?”

“I don’t think so. He never mentioned anything odd happening.”

“Why do you think he did it? He has to know that the computer creates kind of personal interaction. Without detailed psych profiles and personal logs, the characters are completely a figment of the author’s imagination. Starfleet never had any of that information back then. All that remained were the Captain’s official reports.”

“Will told me he used the simulation to help him make a decision.”

“A decision? How could a holo-novel help him? They’re mostly fiction.”

“I’m not sure. But there’s no reason to believe he found out about you.”

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October 22, 2156

Trip waited until after the normal serving hours to speak with chef. T’Pol’s birthday was coming up and he wanted to make something special for her. He was certain with chef’s help he could do so without drawing much attention.

“Hi Guinan, got some time?”

“Sure Trip. I’m just cleaning up here.”

“Hey, let me help you.” Trip picked up a couple of pots and started washing them out in the sink.

“You don’t have to do that. What would Archer say if he came down and caught his chief engineer washing pots in the galley?”

“He would thank you for finally getting some honest work out of me.” He started laughing. She joined him. In the nineteen months she had been chef on Enterprise, no one else had warmed up to her like he had. She assumed his close friendship with T’Pol made him more comfortable around aliens than the rest of the crew. Guinan knew Trip and T’Pol frequently dined alone together in the mess hall.

She watched him as he finished off a fifth pot. While she enjoyed his company and his help, she knew he did not come here just to wash pots and pans. “So what’s on your mind?”

“I was wondering if you could help me out. I want to make T’Pol’s favorite dish for her. You know, something special.”

“Well, blueberry pie is her favorite desert. You could make that. I still have some frozen blueberries left. There should be enough for a small pie. They’ll be better than the freeze dried ones.”

“No, I want to make a Vulcan dish for her. Her birthday’s coming up and it’s a special one.”

Guinan was stunned. The rumors about the two did not do their relationship justice. Not only did he know T’Pol’s birthday, but also how old she was. “You know how old she is? Normally that information is known only by her immediate family and her mate, if she has one.”

Trip blushed. She had guessed his secret. He knew Guinan seemed to know a lot about everything and he hoped she would guess. “Well you know…”

Very little still surprised Guinan. This did. “She has taken you as a mate? Are you sure?”

He laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure. I found out about our bond nearly two years ago.” He wasn’t ready to share the fact that T’Pol had bound him to her nearly three years ago. He still found it odd that T’Pol waited exactly one year after having sex with him to reveal the bond.

“I had no idea a Vulcan could form a bond with a human.”

“We were kind of surprised ourselves. We spent a lot of time together in the Expanse. Phlox found some subtle but significant changes in our brain activity. He thinks our bodies adjusted to meet her need to take me as a mate. I’m not really sure I understand all of it though. I just know I love her more than anything else.”

“How did the Captain react when he found out the two of you were mated?”

Trip blushed again. “He doesn’t know. Almost no one knows. That’s why we don’t share quarters. We kind of keep it a secret.”

“Then why tell me? How many people know?”

“My parents and Phlox are the only other ones who know. But she makes me so happy, it’s killing me not to shout it to the whole universe.” He sighed. “I guess things just built up to the point where I had to tell someone. I know I can trust you to be discrete.” He also knew she couldn’t be a Terra Prime spy.

“Why not tell the Captain? He is your friend.”

“That’d put him in a tough spot. If he knew for sure we were mated, he would have to report it. He already knows something’s going on, but as long as he has no official knowledge, he can chalk it up to just rumor mongering. Ignorance is bliss, you know.” He gave her a huge grin.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

December 29, 2158

“The Vulcans refused to help us again. Damn them!”

T’Pol looked at Trip. She saw his jaw clench. She felt the anger rise in his head.

Archer had to know where this was going. This had become a tired argument. But he pushed forward anyway. “It’s just like with the Xindi. People are dying every day and the God damned Vulcans won’t lift a finger to help.”

As expected, T’Pol felt Trip begin his explosion as Archer pushed him over the edge.

“What the hell do you expect T’Pau to do Captain?! Her government’s so weak she can barely keep enough ships up to defend Vulcan. What, it’s not enough that we’re getting killed, you want to get a bunch of Vulcans killed to?! This isn’t their damned war! They didn’t start it!”

“If she can’t crew the ships, give them to Starfleet. We can crew them!”

“Like the Romulans will somehow know the crews are human?! How the hell’s that going to work?! We can’t even see them! They’ll figure out where the ships came from and strike Vulcan. They won’t care who’s crewing the ships!”

T’Pol’s head pounded with Trip’s anger. She watched his jaw clench and unclench. This argument had become a regular diner conversation as Captain Archer was unable to control his anger toward the Vulcans for not joining Earth in their war with the Romulans. She felt Trip have enough. He rose to his feet.

“That’s it. I’m tired of this! I’m going back to engineering! I want to make sure we’re ready in case we come across any.” He walked out of the mess.

“You’re not dismissed Commander.”

“So what,” was all T’Pol heard as Trip left her with the Captain.

She saw the Captain glare at her. She did not have to be his bond mate to know what he was feeling.

“Well?”

“I am not sure I understand your question Captain.”

“How in the hell does he know what the Vulcans can and can’t do? Do you have something to do with this Commander?”

She glared back at him. His insinuation was insulting. It stung even more since she had no idea how Trip knew details about the Vulcan fleet. Somehow he had been able to hide this from her. The fact he could troubled her more than his actual knowledge of the fleet’s status.

“I do not. I am not sure how he has come to possess that information.”

“T’Pol, don’t lie to me. You’ve already told me about the bond. He can’t hide it from you. You either gave him the information or you know where he got it.”

“He should not be able to hide it from me. However he has figured out a way to do so.”

Archer looked at her face. He realized she was telling the truth. He was stunned. “So is her situation really that bad?”

“Trip believes it is. Since he has not shared with me the source of his information, I am unable to know how accurate his belief may be. I have heard rumors her government is in turmoil and on the verge of collapse. However Trip’s information is more detailed than the rumors.”

Archer looked down at his food. His head was pounding. He realized how foolish he must have sounded. “T’Pol, I’m sorry for blaming you. Also when you see him later tonight, tell him I’m really sorry. If he’s willing to forgive me, have him stop by.”

“If I see him, I will pass along your apology.”

“Okay thanks.” He decided to let T’Pol maintain her illusion. He knew that Trip would go to engineering, bang on stuff and yell at things for a while and then go to T’Pol’s quarters. He had known for some time that Trip only spent the night in his quarters when she came to see him. That normally only happened when T’Pol worked the evening duty roster. Otherwise he slept in her quarters.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

December 12, 2160

Trip stepped out of the shuttle pod for the first time in four days. He felt his back relax at being on the ship again. He smiled as he saw Jon, Malcolm and Hoshi coming to welcome them home. ** “I am so happy to be back home. I need to take a hot shower badly.” **

** “Yes. You do.” **

Trip smiled. He had to reek something horrible. They had been cooped up in the shuttle pod for eight of the past ten days. Four days there and four days back travel time. Only one bath during that time, five days ago. ** “I can’t imagine what I smell like. How bad is it?” **

** “I do not know. I have been unable to smell anything at all for six days.” **

Trip chuckled to himself. He lifted a box containing the recorded data and handed it to Hoshi.

** “Hoshi here is the data T’Pol and I recorded. Could you download it into the ship’s computer? I need to take a shower.” **

Without even realizing it, Hoshi answered him in Vulcan. ** “I can take care of that Trip. How was your vacation?” **

Trip didn’t notice the stunned expressions on Jon’s and Malcolm’s faces.

** “Very funny Hoshi. Eight days stuck on a shuttle pod is not a vacation.” **

T’Pol stepped out of the shuttle pod. ** “Agreed. I would rather not do that again for quite some time.” **

Hoshi thought to herself that Trip’s Vulcan was odd. She had never heard it spoken with a southern accent before. She gasped. She had never heard him speak it at all before. He spoke reasonably well even with the strange accent.

The Captain’s voice startled her out of her thoughts. “Care to include all of us in the conversation?”

Trip felt the flush run over his face. He completely forgot.

Archer smiled at Trip to hide his amazement at discovering Trip’s unknown ability to speak Vulcan. “Commander, I expect you to speak English aboard this ship. I should not have to use the universal translator to understand my Chief Engineer.”

“Sorry about that Captain. T’Pol has been helping me learn Vulcan. Since it was just the two of us on the shuttle pod, we decided to speak only Vulcan to help me improve. I forgot to stop.”

Malcolm was not completely surprised to learn Trip had learned Vulcan. He knew Trip was pretty enamored of T’Pol. “So when did you start that Trip?”

Trip scowled a bit at Malcolm. He didn’t want to talk about this. He looked at the Captain and decided to stop the conversation right there. “T’Pol started teaching me just after Columbia was destroyed. It was something challenging that took my mind off the war. I needed something to keep me from going insane.” He knew that any mention of Columbia stopped the conversation immediately.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

January 21, 2161

Trip focused on the candle’s flame. He and T’Pol had started meditating every morning before their shift during the Romulan war. It helped him keep his focus and calm during a very troubling time in his life. He remembered the day he found out the Romulans had destroyed Columbia. He felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach. The only one who took the news worse was Captain Archer. Trip had not known Jon and Erika got back together after she was promoted. Even now, three years later he wasn’t sure Jon had really recovered from losing her.

The comm panel sounded off. “Commander T’Pol. Commander Tucker. Please report to my ready room as soon as you can.”

T’Pol turned to the comm panel. “On our way Captain.” She looked around. “Where is my undershirt?”

“What do you mean? You got a whole closet of clothes. Just get another one out. Help me find my pants. They have to be here somewhere close. So far I’ve only found my shirt and underwear. Hopefully my socks are with pants.” He paused to look around. “Isn’t this where we started?”

“I cannot recall. But I do not see them. I believe you are correct in suggesting keeping at least one set of clothes here. This is happening too frequently.”

“Here they are.” He knelt scratching his head as he pulled them out from underneath the desk. “How in the hell did they get over here? I still can’t find my socks.”

“That is not important right now. We need to report to the Captain’s ready room. We have already delayed long enough. He will become suspicious.”

“Honey, he’s already got to know. He’s not stupid. He’s just willfully ignorant. You know that whole dumb ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ thing Admiral Meyers put in place.”

Archer sat in his ready room timing the couple’s entrance. Even though the conversation would become painfully serious once they arrived, he couldn’t help but amuse himself with the game he developed a bit over two years ago. He called it ‘When will they show?’ He would time their arrival and assign a result. They ranged from ‘Nothing going on’ to ‘Sorry, we took a shower together and lost track of time’.

The door opened as they arrived eighteen minutes later. Trip had a serious case of ‘bed hair’. Ahh, yes. We have a winner. It was a common result. He called it ‘Worry about the shower later, we need to find our clothes.’ It was too much time for them to simply walk to his ready room after he called but not long enough for either of them to take a shower.

“Come in.” Trip and T’Pol entered the Captain’s ready room. “Have a seat. There is something we need to discuss.”

Trip wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. The Captain looked more disturbed than he could recall.

“We have a serious problem.”

“What is it Captain?”

“I found this on my desk this morning.” He handed them the picture.

T’Pol was shocked at what she saw. It was one of the standard pictures taken after Enterprise returned from the Expanse. This one was of the three Enterprise command officers. However both Trip’s and T’Pol’s faces had been scratched out. Someone had written “Vengeance will be ours. We will eliminate the traitor and his Vulcan whore” in red ink.

Trip turned white as a ghost. He realized what this meant. Terra Prime had someone on board Enterprise. Possibly more than one.

“Phlox has confirmed the writing is in blood.”

“Whose?”

“Yours Trip.”

He was stunned. “How?”

“Phlox checked his samples. Yours had been replaced with synthetic blood. He has no idea when it was replaced.”

The three of them grappled with the realization.

“What has Lt. Reed said about this? Has he started his investigation yet?”

“I haven’t talked to Malcolm. I don’t know who is responsible for this. Outside of the three of us, it could be anyone.”

“Captain, you can’t honestly believe Malcolm had any part in this?”

“I don’t know Trip. Whoever did it was able to completely bypass security controls and logs in both my quarters and sick bay. I can’t believe Malcolm did it but we can’t rule him out at this point.”

“Captain, do you think our lives are in imminent danger?” T’Pol was worried more about Trip than her. Six years ago, she detected Terra Prime, Paxton in particular, felt more betrayed by Trip than anger toward her.

“Not yet, I hope.” He paused to continue the delicate conversation. “I believe they want to make an example out of the two of you. They can’t do that until we reach Earth. I think their goal right now is to terrorize the two of you. Whoever did this made it clear they can go anywhere on this ship anytime they like without leaving a trace.”

Trip just stared at the picture. Archer wasn’t sure he was even paying attention to him.

T’Pol formulated a plan. She had some experience in this area. “Captain, I believe Trip and I should share quarters for the remainder of the mission.”

Trip was stunned. “What? I think we should keep things quiet.”

“Trip, there is no longer any point to the deception. Whoever has done this already knows we are together. If they are going to attempt to kill us, the most logical time would be while we are sleeping. It will be harder for them to make the attempt when you are with me.”

Trip could not believe it. She was actually suggesting they live together openly.

“I have experience in this matter from my time with the Ministry of Security. I believe I can build a lock to our quarters that cannot be bypassed by anyone aboard this ship without detection.”

Archer looked at T’Pol, “Are you sure about this T’Pol? Having both of you together would also make the target easier.”

“Yes, Captain. I agree with your assessment that the most logical course for Terra Prime to take would be to strike after we reached Earth. But I believe I can better protect Trip if he remains in my quarters while off duty.”

Trip couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t worried about herself at all. “What about you? They want you gone too.”

“Based upon our limited experience with Terra Prime, it is my assessment that you are the primary target.”

“But…”

“Trip, I agree with T’Pol. Starfleet Security has told me the same thing. Terra Prime is mostly upset about you. Besides knowing about you and T’Pol, they are still pissed you sabotaged Paxton’s targeting scanner. Until we know who we can and cannot trust, T’Pol’s plan is the best course of action.”

“But…”

“The matter is closed Trip. I want you to move in with T’Pol as soon as possible. Her quarters are next to mine. I hope that may provide an added measure of deterrent. T’Pol can you have the lock ready today?”

“I should with Trip’s help.”

“Good. I expect to see you at supper with a report on your progress. Dismissed.”

Later that evening T’Pol was showing Trip how to deactivate the lock. She gave him his six-digit code through their bond.

( Trip, if you make a mistake and enter the wrong code twice, do not make a third attempt. Contact me before entering. )

( Why? )

( The result of making a third mistake is deadly. )

( What? You mean… )

( Yes. The lock will deliver what would most likely be a fatal burst to anyone within a three-meter radius. )

( Have you informed the Captain? )

( Not completely. I simply informed him to never attempt to override its controls. )

Trip hoped the Captain had the good sense to listen to her warning.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

April 26, 2161

“I spoke with Minister Kov today. He indicated that everything has been arranged. He said he was happy to return the favor.” T’Pol found this last statement odd.

“So how’s it going to work?”

“You will be picked up before our mission completes. Captain Archer is working out the details with them now. I will remain aboard Enterprise until the decommission and then rejoin you.”

“Do you know anything about the ship?”

“Not much. Kov indicated the timing was opportune. Vulcan is launching a deep space science vessel to study stellar nurseries. It is the first of the new Paglayaretsu class. We will be gone almost seven years.”

“That’s great! It sounds like you’ll get to use your training again. But I didn’t think Vulcans cared about exploration.”

“Nearly all long held views are being reexamined. There are also some frustrated that Starfleet’s new Constellation class of starships are nearly equal to the D’kyr class. The pace of Starfleet’s advancement after the Earth-Romulan War concerns them. The mission will be one of a number meant to silence those critics.”

Trip sat thinking about what the next seven years would be like. He and T’Pol would no longer need to hide. On the other hand, he would be the only human on the ship. He wasn’t quite sure how the Vulcans would react.

“Trip are you sure this is what you want? The path ahead may prove difficult.”

“What other options do we have? I am tired of hiding. Just for once, I want us to be open about our relationship without worrying about how someone will react. We can’t do that in Starfleet. Starfleet Security’s a joke. They have no idea who wants to kill us. And I want to stay on a starship. That basically means we accept their help. We made it through the war. I’m sure we can do this.”

He pulled her close and held on tightly. She could tell he was anxious. So was she. She was unsure how the Vulcan crew would react to either of them.

Five hours later he had given up trying to sleep. He still wondered what the next seven years of his life would be like. He wondered if he would ever see his parents again.

He needed to talk to someone. With T’Pol asleep, there was only one other person he could talk to. It was almost 3am but he was certain she would be awake.

Twenty minutes later Trip walked into the mess hall. He knew chef would still be there. He wasn’t sure she ever slept. He saw the light on in her kitchen.

He walked in and saw her working on something. “Hi Guinan. What’s cooking?” He smiled at her.

“Not much. I am just getting ready for breakfast.”

He just sat on a stool watching her prepare food. He often came down late at night to talk. She found some time ago there were only three people on the ship he really trusted any longer. It was curious neither she nor T’Pol were human.

She could tell he was worried about something. Their mission was coming to an end. In a bit over three weeks, Enterprise would be decommissioned and placed in storage. She was certain she knew what was troubling him. So she decided to have some fun at the same time. “Are you worried your plan won’t work?”

He snapped his head at her. “What plan?”

“Your plan to go away quietly and escape Terra Prime.”

He looked at her face. He could tell there was no sense in denying it. “How did you know?”

She smiled at him. “Trip, my hearing is considerably more sensitive than a Vulcan’s. I heard you and the Captain discuss it.” She saw his concern. “Don’t worry. I have not mentioned it to anyone. I understand your reasons.” He occasionally came down to talk about the threats on his life. She assumed he did not want to worry T’Pol.

He sighed. “Thanks. I’m kind of scared. I think I have a better understanding of what T’Pol went through before joining Enterprise. Less than a month from now, we’re going to be on a Vulcan science vessel heading for deep space. It could be years before I see another human. I may not ever see my parents again.”

“I wouldn’t worry Trip. The Vulcans you’ll work with on that ship are not like those you have met. They are scientists. They are not politicians and diplomats.” ** “How is your Vulcan coming along?” **

** “I am improving. T’Pol says my pronunciation is still ‘strange’ but I am understandable. I expect to improve faster once on the ship.” **

** “If you wish to practice more, I am willing to help.” **

“Thanks. But I’m not sure that’s a good idea. It might raise questions I don’t want to answer.”

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

She saw him lose focus for a second.

“Well, it looks like I have to say good night. T’Pol’s waking up.”

“Good night Trip. If I don’t see you again, good luck.”

He turned to her, “I’ll stop by. I’m not going to leave without saying good bye to you.” He smiled and turned away.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The man’s face on the view screen turned angry. “What the hell are you thinking contacting me like this?”

“Relax. There isn’t anyone aboard Enterprise that can break my encryption. They’ll never trace it without my help. I thought you would like to hear the news.”

“What news?”

“Commander Tucker’s dead. I just got back from his funeral.”

“Dammit, Hoshi, we told you not to act on your own. You were only to gather information. We were going to take care of them at the signing ceremony. In public.”

“Calm down. I didn’t do anything. He got himself killed on his own.”

“How’d it happen?”

“Archer went on a mission putting an Andorian child’s life ahead of the crew. Trip got himself killed trying to protect the Captain from her kidnappers.”

“And his Vulcan whore, did they get her too?”

“No, she’s fine. In fact better than fine. He spends a decade chasing after her, doing anything just to please her and does she even cry at his funeral? No. The bitch just stood there as cold as ever. Even I cried at his funeral, although they were just crocodile tears. Phlox told me it was a pretty nasty death though. Had to be closed casket. Messed him up pretty badly. Supposedly not much of his face was left.”

“He got what he deserved. If he would’ve put his species first, at least he could’ve had a grieving widow.”

“Well what now? Enterprise is about to be mothballed and I can’t stand being in this Starfleet prison any more. I want to go home.”

“We still need people like you. Does anyone suspect you?”

“No. I think they gave up trying to find out who was the leak. The evidence always pointed to different people.”

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Stardate 47457.3

“I’ve visited that holo-novel several times over the years.”

Picard was not shocked by Guinan’s revelation. “Checking up on my work?” He smiled at her.

“No. I have always trusted you eliminated any record of my time aboard Starfleet ships in the 22nd century. I occasionally like to revisit the times I have spent with humans.”

“I never figured you would bother with that one since it’s so inaccurate.”

“That’s true of the events, but the author did a reasonable job with the personalities. She got T’Pol completely wrong but the rest of the officers she portrayed fairly accurately. Also people confided in Phlox, not me. Only Charles Tucker ever spoke to me about anything personal.”

“She even got Hoshi Sato right? Will told me her character liked Charles Tucker. I can’t believe that’s true. She helped plot to assassinate him and T’Pol during the Federation signing.”

Guinan remembered that Hoshi Sato was one of the few humans she had ever completely misjudged. She still found it hard to believe the Hoshi Sato she knew was a militant xenophobe willing to kill for the cause. “Remember while she was on the ship, no one suspected her. She was perfectly friendly to everyone, even Phlox and myself. Her involvement was only discovered years later. She was a bit formal with T’Pol but I never sensed any hostility toward her.”

“Fascinating.”

“I was stunned when I heard she killed Malcolm Reed. I always thought she liked him. In fact, there were even rumors of a kindling romance when Enterprise went into storage.”

“According to the reports he was getting close to exposing her involvement with Terra Prime. She made a mistake while disposing of his body and left a trail that pointed right to her. After his murder, Section 31 mobilized all their resources to purge Terra Prime’s influence from Starfleet Command. A lot of careers were ruined, both justified and unjustified. It was not one of Starfleet’s proudest moments.”

The events of that time intrigued Picard. He came close to experiencing history repeating itself when Admiral Satie arrived three years earlier. Fortunately Fleet Admiral Kensington recognized her paranoid delusional tirade for what it was and ended the witch-hunt. “What has always bothered me is that she freely admitted being a member of Terra Prime and the plot to assassinate Charles Tucker and T’Pol but insisted she had nothing to do with Malcolm Reed’s murder. She spent the rest of her life in prison adamant she was framed, even after her final appeal failed.”

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

“So Will, did the simulation help you?”

“I have to hand it to you Deanna, it did. When you first suggested it, I couldn’t understand why. Most people know the story is fiction and I couldn’t see how it would help me. I kept focusing on Commander Tucker assuming you were using his part of the story as a metaphor. I just couldn’t get past the fact the story wasn’t true, even if it might have been relevant.”

She smiled at him. She realized he eventually grasped her intent. “And…”

“Then it occurred to me, you wanted me to focus on Captain Archer’s actions instead. That’s the point of the story.”

“Exactly. Captain Archer cared deeply for his friend and understood his decision to leave Starfleet. Both you and Commander Tucker faced difficult choices. I am sure Captain Picard respects you as much as Captain Archer respected Commander Tucker. Once you shared your decision with him, he would understand the difficult situation you were in. I knew he would support you making the right decision even if it meant disobeying a direct order. You had to tell him about the cloak. It was the right thing to do.”

Commander Riker enjoyed his time in the holo-novel. While there, he found another that seemed interesting also. “So, would you like to care to join me for the holo-novel about their time aboard the Shi’masu? I’ll let you play Subcommander T’Pol.” Riker grinned at Deanna.

“I would rather use the one where they are aboard the Psau.”

“I’m not familiar with that one. What’s the difference?”

“She had been promoted to Commander…”

“So you want to be captain?” He grinned at her again.

“Well, that isn’t the only reason. That one has a role-playing mode in addition to historical mode. You can insert yourself as either Commander T’Pol, Subcommander Tucker or the captain of the Bird of Prey.”

“Bird of Prey?”

“Yes. The Psau searched for a cloaked Bird of Prey attacking Federation ships. The Psau was a science vessel searching for micro-singularities at the time. Starfleet requested their help to find and destroy it.”

“What kind of weapons did it have? I can’t believe a science vessel could do much against a Bird of Prey.”

“It was a prototype of the Surak Mark II class. It was a rebuilt Surak combat cruiser so its phase cannons were reinstalled for the search. A temporary tactical station was installed in astrometrics to tie the weapons into the imaging sensors. It was a pretty powerful ship. The Bird of Prey was no match. They destroyed it nearly three days after the search began.”

Riker didn’t understand the point then. “Why run in role playing mode then? Once you find the Klingons, the outcome is set.”

“It’s a timed simulation and you can have the computer change the Bird of Prey’s location and behavior. Starfleet dispatches three Constellation class cruisers to search for it. Depending on how the search progresses, they arrive at different times. Once the third cruiser arrives, you are relieved and resume your science mission. At that point you lose the game.”

“Okay. That sounds interesting. I’ll tell you what, let’s do this up right. You’ll be Commander T’Pol, I’ll be Subcommander Tucker and we’ll get Vulcan robes and everything. How does that sound?”

“That sounds good, Will. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

The End of the Beginning


A sequel follows in Getting in Tune

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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 comments

I love the idea of T'pol and Trip serving together on a Vulcan ship. Maybe you could write some stories about their adventures. It sounds like you have the major ship movements all worked out... Just add some new stuffy Vulcan characters, some character interaction and a little TnT smut, and you're ready to roll! I just have one little bone to pick, though. Why'd you have to make Hoshi a bad guy? I LIKE Hoshi!

"Picard knew this particular one was a complete work of fiction". Yay! Of course the f#cknale WAS a complete work of fiction. I like your slant on the story, well done. But Hoshi? Killing Malcolm? Clever, but maybe too shocking? :-)

i really enjoyed this. i wish it were longer and a bit more detailed though. but i do like the snapshots throughout time. and also, i could totally see hoshi doing it, but maybe not killing malcolm, guess i'd have to "see" that scene, first. i would also like further adventures on the vulcan ship. good job!

I love Guinan as Chef... awesome! :) And evil Hoshi, well, why not? She's the emepress in the MU, after all, and the personalities do see to run parallel. I enjoyed this ver, very much! :)

Thanks for the comments. I figured Hoshi would be a bit controversial.

Basically I wanted a Terra Prime spy who would have been on the ship from day one, easily recognizable and that no one would suspect. Hoshi always seems so nice to everyone. It turns out that Hoshi really hates Vulcans. Or at least one in particular. :-)

As to killing Malcolm, I wanted to keep that vague. In my mind, she did not kill him. As she insisted, she really was framed for his murder. But if you prefer to believe she did, that's okay too. I wanted some mystery in the story. I hate when characters are all knowing.

I also wrote the story in such a way as I could write follow ups covering their time aboard other ships. I have snippets of them on both the Shi'masu and the Psau. I also have Trip mentoring someone you might not expect. I plan on posting them through the summer.

I really enjoyed this, Kevin. Your characterizations are spot-on, and the story arc is well thought-out.

And Guinan as Chef? Brilliant.

The Guinan bit was cool, but I like Hoshi. That threw me for a loop, that one. Cool story, dang straight it was fiction, and well done. :)

I liked it, nice work! It was a bit confusing in the beginning but maybe that was just me not having seen the fourth season yet. The idea with Guinan being chef was gorgeous but I have to admit I was a bit disturbed that Picard found the idea of Will looking for answers in fiction odd - after all he is a big Shakespeare fan and TNG is full of references to fictious stories helping in "reality". Apart from that, great. And I agree with the others - a series about Trip's and T'Pol's adventures on the Vulcan ship would be interesting!

So when do we get to read the murder/mystery of Malcom's death? That would make a great story! I love a good "who-dunnit"!! :)

By the way, this story was great! You did a wonderful job "fixing the finale"!

muhahahahahaha i knew hoshi was dangerous! seriously, great story. i have one question though : what species is guinan? never heard of her before. how long do they live?

Wow one of the best Fix Fic's yet.
Who'da thunk it,, Hoshi a Tera Prime spy,, I loved how Ya had TnT outsmart that Ho-shi.
Loved how ya left TnTs story open ended there.. Leavin us guess what happened on that Vulcan ship,,and did they ever go back to earth or even star Fleet one day,,,,?Cant wait for the follow ups. :)

Klingonraider, You must be a youngster or new to Star Trek fandom (Or maybe you just hold the common opinion that many of TNG plots were too stupid to watch.)
Guinan was the 600 year old hostess of Ten Forward on TNG. StarTrek.com lists her race as El-Aurian, whatever the heck that is. I always found her to be a distraction, since she was played by an actress that was already famous before she started on the series. (I think Whoopi Goldberg may have been the first well-known celebrity to have a recurring role on a Star Trek series... not to say that others didn't BECOME celebrities... but you know what I mean.) I do like her inclusion in this story, though. She was always portrayed as the type people confided in. (Everyone talks to the bartender, right?) It's a good crossover.

I don't remember if Guinan's species name was ever mentioned, but she knew Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) making her at least 500 yrs old in TNG.

I loved it. the best fix the finale story ever. never did really like hoshi anyway. briliant!

Sub-Commander Tucker...LOL that's a switcheroo!

great story...enjoyable read...Evil! Hoshi...hmmmmmmm

Veddy nice work! Looking forward to more installments.

W question though, why would not T'Pol be reenstated as a Vulcan sub-commander? After all she held that rank previously.

HTH2k4

make that a youngster, i only watched enterprise and later bought all episodes of voyager, so i dont know anything about any other series that might have occured : ) which is another reason i didnt like the finale at all, and frankly didnt understand the slightest thing about it.

T'Pol was subcommander aboard the Shi'masu as Riker mentioned.

She was promoted to commander and given command of the Psau.

I am not sure yet how to handle Trip's rank but by the time they leave the Shi'masu, he is a subcommander and the chief engineer.

Of course T'Pol also makes him her chief engineer and not just on the Psau. :-)

Over all a very good story. I really liked the scenes and the plots created however I would have loved for you to go into furhter detail.

Over all a very good story. I really liked the scenes and the plots created however I would have loved for you to go into furhter detail.

Over all a very good story. I really liked the scenes and the plots created however I would have loved for you to go into furhter detail.

Fantastic!!!! I loved Guinan as Chef and I thought "evil Hoshi" was unexpected and brilliant. I also enjoyed the twist that she went to jail for something she didn't do. I'm looking forward to the continuation of this story with great anticipation. Great job!

hey! That was *my* idea!! :P I started writing a TnT fic about them being on a Vulcan ship about a month ago, when I first learned of the fix the finale challenge (haven't seen the actual episode, we're miles behind in Holland, but have read all the spoilers and seen all the screenshots and everything)
anyway, good story. Didn't like the evil Hoshi much, but everyone is entitled to their own imagination.
By the by, in Nemesis you will learn that Guinan is an El-Aurian, but it has been mentioned in TNG when the crew finds themselves in 1800-something America (I think :S )
not bad, eh, for someone who was born five months before TNG aired its first episode? :P

loved it! But Hoshi! Nooooo! I was so sad about that. But at least TT got their happy ending. :)

Hoshi as the Terra Prima agent was a shocker. I'd been wondering first if it was Amanda Cole and then I switched to Guinan as my main suspect . . . shows how much I know! Great story, and I'm looking forward to adventures aboard the Vulcan ship.