Alternatives-12

Alternatives

By Samantha Quinn

Rating and Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Author's Notes: I’m leaving out a lot of things on purpose here - mostly the resolution with Koss. Trip and T’Pol will need to talk about all of that, and I’m choosing to let it be as fresh to the reader as it will be to Trip when we get to that in the next chapter. Also, the scene changes denote a leap forward in time, as well.

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Chapter 12: Life After the Kir’Shara

“It’s good to see you on your feet again,” Commodore Archer said sincerely over the comm link.

“It’s good to be back on my feet, Cap - er, Commodore.”

Archer chuckled. “I bet T’Pol and my favorite niece and nephew think so, too.”

“You know, you can’t call Lorian that anymore. Koval’ll get jealous when he gets here.”

“Hey, who’s to say I can’t have two favorite nephews? Commodore’s privilege.”

“I guess so.”

Archer’s face took a sudden turn for the serious and Trip braced himself for what he knew was coming. “Are you sure you’re ready for this, Trip?”

Trip had already had this conversation - three times, as a matter of fact. Phlox had been the first to voice his concerns, followed by T’Pol, and Malcolm had brought up the rear.

Frankly, if Phlox, Malcolm or the Commodore thought they had anything on a pregnant Vulcan’s capacity to argue, they were nuts. “I’m ready, Commodore. Phlox wouldn’t be signing the permission slip to let me go back to work if I wasn’t ready.”

“No, I guess not. Neither would T’Pol, for that matter.”

Trip chuckled. “Nope, that she most definitely would not.”

“Well, if you’re sure. . . it’ll be nice having you around headquarters again.”

“It’ll be nice being able to work again,” Trip responded sincerely. “I’ve just about forgotten how ‘Captain Tucker’ sounds.”
************

“Are you sure about this, T’Pol?”

Humans had curious habits, T’Pol reflected. Even though it was quite obvious that her decision was a sound one, Captain Archer had asked her this same question twice. “Yes, Captain,” she answered patiently. “I am quite sure.”
Archer looked doubtful. “If it’s the Vulcan-Andorian peace you’re worried about -“

“In part, yes,” she answered truthfully. She didn’t add that the Kir’Shara had opened up a whole new host of questions that she needed to discover the answer to. “We’ll need someone on Vulcan as equally committed to establishing peace as you are on Enterprise.”

“I think the discovery will help. But, Captain, the single most influential figure in Vulcan history entrusted me with the mission of helping our people discover the true meanings of his teachings. I know it’s difficult to understand, but I cannot leave until I am certain that mission is complete.” Surak was gone now, and the emptiness she had expected wasn’t there. Instead, it had been replaced by a sense of longing and pain, both of which she knew were linked with Captain Tucker.

“I do understand,” Archer said gently. “It’ll be difficult not having you or Trip to turn to on Enterprise, though.”

“Has Starfleet sent word on your inquiry?”

Archer took a deep breath before answering. “Actually, yes, they did.”

“Is Captain Tucker all right?”

“No, T’Pol, he isn’t.”

T’Pol knew as much, of course, and she mentally chided herself for wasting time verifying what she already knew to be true. Still, a small part of her clung to the knowledge that Trip was still alive - the bond Surak had helped her understand told her as much. “What is wrong with him?”

“They don’t really know. The good news is that you’ll be able to see him yourself. Starfleet is sending The Sputnik here. I think they’re hoping against all hope that the doctors here will be able to help where our own doctors haven’t.” The part of Archer who still held a grudge against Vulcan slipped out in Archer’s tone, letting T’Pol know that he didn’t think that was a likely possibility.

He underestimated the pull of the Vulcan who had carried Surak’s katra.

*****

Trip’s hands pressed to the bump in T’Pol’s abdomen as she removed the heavy robes. The act was nearly identical to the first time he had seen her naked - in the Expanse.

(Which was just six months ago)

Except this time, she was very visibly carrying a child. His hands automatically caressed the bump. “Are you sure this won’t hurt the baby?”

It was a valid question, Trip assured himself, despite the look T’Pol gave him. What he remembered of their sex life had been very . . . passionate and intense.

(Just that one time.)

It was very likely that such acts could be detrimental to the baby.

“It never has before,” T’Pol answered, beginning to unbutton his shirt as well.

It was all the encouragement he needed. His mouth greedily claimed T’Pol’s, eagerly seeking the mouth he remembered losing.

T’Pol broke their kiss briefly. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Absolutely.” He’d never wanted anything more in his life.

******

Well, this wasn’t intimidating at all, Gilbert thought. He was only meeting the Captain and First Officer of the ship that had saved his planet from the Xindi. He was only meeting them, in part, because their former chief engineer - now currently Gilbert’s captain - was stuck in a dream that no one on Captain Tucker’s entire ship could wake him up from. The responsibility only fell upon Gilbert’s shoulders because he was Captain Tucker’s second in command.

And, worst of all, these events only happened on Gilbert’s very first mission as First Officer.

So, nope. There was absolutely no reason to be intimidated whatsoever. It was probably merely Vulcan’s dry air or altitude making it impossible to breathe, making him feel inferior, and in general, making it difficult to properly shake the hand of the Captain who had been knee deep in Vulcan-Andorian peace talks up until the moment Sputnik had arrived. Fortunately, Gilbert didn’t have that type of problem with Commander T’Pol.

After all, Vulcans don’t shake hands.

‘Water Polo,’ he reminded himself sternly. ‘Just remember that the Captain of the Enterprise likes Water Polo, and you’ll be okay.’

“Captain Archer, Commander T’Pol,” he greeted. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Captain Tucker-“

“Is in sickbay, I presume?” Commander T’Pol interrupted.

“Uh, yes, Ma’am.” She was direct. Gilbert could deal with that.

“Myself, Dr. Skon, and Dr. T’Lara will be beaming aboard The Sputnik to attend to Captain Tucker’s medical needs.”

Her tone left no room for argument - not that he would have argued with her in the first place.

“Of course. Will you be coming as well, Captain?”

“Absolutely. After they fix Trip up, I’m hoping he’ll give me a tour. I figure he owes me one.”

Gilbert grinned as he contacted The Sputnik. Despite being a living legend and having really bad taste in sports, Archer seemed like a nice guy.

Gilbert could only hope his optimism about Captain Tucker bore fruit.

*****

Return to Chapter 11

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[June 30, 2007] Samantha Quinn has finished Alternatives but informs us that she is working on revising the final three chapters and cannot give a date when they will be ready. It may be quite a while.

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

No lirpas at dawn? *wistful* Oh well :) I really hope you flesh out the backstory when they talk. I want to know who nailed V'Las in this AU...

Great stuff, and I can't wait to see what happens when Trip wakes up! ...He is asleep and dreaming, right? Right? :)

Great stuff, and I can't wait to see what happens when Trip wakes up! ...He is "asleep" and dreaming, right? Right? :)

Nice, looking forward to the next chapter

I'm kind of confused here. Reading another chapter after another I am not sure if:
1) Trip is some kind of coma and is dreaming;
2) All is an ilusion created by the mad doctors in his mind for whatever reason (there was a part of the plot where he dissappeared to be found on some planet in some medical facility - completely forgotten part of the plot, I presume)
3) He is having some kind of future projection (your disclaimer suggests this but it has no ground in the story itself)
4) Combination of the three?

So, my question is: what the hell is going on? Twelve chapters and we're still clueless? Get on with it or people will simply get bored.

I CERTAINLY am not bored! I can't wait for more in this wonderful AU story... and I love the crew created for Captain Tucker's Sputnik... poor Gilbert... "Water polo... bad taste in sports." Ha!

If I were Trip, and my dreams were turning out to be the most perfect reality I had ever imagined -- the woman I loved, the children I craved, the intimacy I'd tasted but never feasted on... the W-7 engines I coveted -- well, I'd have a rough time willing myself to wake up and return to "reality," too. He knows it's all a "dream" yet he can't stop himself from living it for a while. Sweet and tragic!

Everything seems to make sense to me. Trip's "dream"-state was explained back in chapter 7 - it's a dream brought on by a device that is basically giving Trip a glimpse of the future he wants. He can leave any time he wants ... but since he doesn't WANT to leave such a lovely dream...

You're evil, Samantha. This chapter is much too short and only whets my appetite for more. I wanted to see T'Pol kick Koss to the curb and now I'm really curious to see what happened to force the Andoria/Vulcan peace talks; did they get into an actual shooting war? Were there significant casualties? Grrrrr... you evil, evil woman...

I REALLY like the idea that T'Pol is resigning from Starfleet (if I read that correctly) to focus on getting Vulcan back on track; after all, she does have what amounts to a "divine mandate."

And I absolutely LOVED the Gilbert scene. "Despite being a living legend and having really bad taste in sports, Archer seemed like a nice guy." <-That line cracks me up!

More please...

Oooh, another chapter so quickly! Yay! More! More!

Black'nblue - there may have been lirpas at dawn. And don't worry, the backstory and missing pieces will be fleshed out between our couple when next they chat. The story's always been mostly from Trip's POV, with little bits of T'Pol's POV thrown in, so I'm trying to keep it that way.

Windrider - that's the short version, yes. ;)

Patrick - good to hear you aren't "bored." ;) THe end is on it's way.

nikitee - I'm glad you like the A/U crew. Originally they had a much larger role to play, but then I kind of switched plots (so I wouldn't have to kill Trip off, as was originally intended), so they've kind of gotten pushed to the side. And yes, everything you say about Trip is spot on - but if T'Pol herself came to kick your butt, you might be more easily enticed.

Rigil - I AM evil. :) And it's good to know that I didn't hallucinate writing that chapter. As for Koss: I'm sure that will be the second question Trip has when he "wakes up." And the Vulcan/Andorians will definitely be explained in the next chapter. I acknowledge that they should have been explained here, but I couldn't think of a way to write the explaination twice (because Captain Tucker will have to be briefed or debriefed, whichever one it is) on the situation. And I find such rehashes well, boring. ;) As for their peace talks, not all is well and I'll leave it at that.

Just wanted to say that I've been keeping up with this story as it has been posted, but haven't had time to comment. The most recent chapters have been a bit of a tease, but I loved them.

I can't wait to see how/if T'Pol figures into getting Trip out of his dream... if he gets out of his dream that is.

Great stuff as usual. Looking forward to more. :)

So.... T'Pol gets there just in time to watch (unconscious and dreaming?) Trip experience a wet dream about making love to an alternate T'Pol? That could be embarrassing, LOL! : )

Maybe she could meld with him and show up in the Dream. Imagine Trip's reaction to TWO T'Pols...

:D

Well that little chapter was nothing but a teaser, a filler,if you will. Thus far very much enjoying the story. Hope to see the next chapter(s) up soon- will Trip come out of the coma to find a future full of the possibilities of which he is currently dreaming? One can only hope. Keep writing, can't wait for more!

There may have been lirpas at dawn? Really? About the only thing that would tickle me more than seeing Trip dismember Koss like a boiled chicken would be too have T'Pol do it instead. Please don't tease me like this. If it turns out all she did was hand him annullment papers the disappointment will be too crushing to endure...

Followup: You know, I really enjoyed the second chapter with T'Pol's first person narrative. That was and is still my favorite part of this story. I would love to see some more first person voice if it seems conveniently workable. Just my personal opinion. I don't know why. It just felt like it had more impact way; I got a more poignant sense of T'Pol's forlorn sense of loss that way. But whatever. Far be it from me to poke. Don't take anything as a complaint, this is great the way it is.

This series is well written and thought out. It has good pacing and appropriate cliff hangers. I've never really been able to get into it, or into all the other fics where dreams and reality are impossible to tell apart, simply because I've never had a dream that I wasn't aware was a dream. Especially as cogent as Trip is during his dream sequences, he ought to be able to tell that the complexity of the real world just isn't there; it can't be no matter what kind of device he's under the influence of. Computer induced simulation or not, the dog won't have fleas unless it's programmed to, the bolts in the walls won't have differing wear patterns, the personalities cannot be so perfectly simulated that they can't be told from real people, etc.
Don't take this as flames, please. Your writing is very good, your style is pleasant and appealing. I just have a problem with the type of situation you have created in this series; I can't suspend my disbelief that much. Just me. Please write more...of something else.

But, graybear, they established early on that the device that is affecting Trip is at least partially telepathic, hence the level of detail. Remember the earlier part of the series? Trip spent quite a while LOOKING for hints that this was a simulation. Further, he IS aware that this is a dream ... at least peripherally ... but do you really think that he is still seeking indications that this isn't real? It's everything that he wants...

binah/boushh/distracted - Let's just say T'Pol and Surak both have a lot to do with how Trip "wakes up."

Phaser Lady - well, it was short, but I wouldn't call it filler. I needed to establish a.) Trip is more accepting of this 'reality' b.) T'Pol has chosen to remain on Vulcan c.) Vulcan-Andoria have issues.

Black 'nBlue - Somewhere between Lirpas/Annulment papers lie the truth about Koss. As for the POV, I've always intended to return in the epilogue to T/T's POV.

graybear - so, I'm guessing that, in edition to having never had an actual dream in your life, you hated "The Inner Light," complete with all the details it included? You're free to dislike the plot, of course, but it's no more unbelievable than Real Time Warp Drive, telepathy, mind melds, bondmates, a utopia Earth or a Federation of Planets. Star Trek isn't built on realism any more than the Twilight Zone is.

Also, I'm not taking it - or marc's comments for that matter - as a flame. Critique is good, though all authors have to determine which critique to agree with and which not to. Unless they come from editors, of course. ;)

Rigil - The device is very important, and that's why I'm hesitant to call it a "dream," because technically, it's more of a telepathic holodeck. It is being programmed - by Trip's brain.

Well, yeah, I got that and was using "dream" more of a general thing. It's an illusion but a good illusion, hence a "dream." :-D

I don't dream often, at least that I remember. But my dreams have always been very realistic, very lucid, but still...dreams. I've had dreams that frightened me, saddened me, turned me on, pulled me down, and some that were just plain delightful. But they were still just dreams. A lot of the things you mentioned, warp drive, mind melds, etc. have at least a threshold in some sort of reality. But my reality simply doesn't include the possibility of dreams that I can't tell from reality. As I said, it's just me. Your writing remains good, very readable, very enjoyable. I just can't get into this series.
Hey, even Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert Heinlein missed occasionally, so you're in VERY good company.

Any chance of an update soon? I love this fic too much to not see the next chapter. If necessary, I'll even beg on bended knee (my left one, if you don't mind, since the right one is bad.)

Just me again, once more begging upon bended knee for an update. I sincerely hope that you're planning on finishing this fic ... it's too good to not be finished.