Consequences-Part 26

Consequences

By Samantha Quinn

All disclaimers in part 1

Part 26

Reluctant Resolutions

A/N: Remember, it’s not over yet.

~~~~~Pre-Breakfast~~~~~

It had been V’Lar’s idea to bring Dr. Ventik aboard. Ventik was a young Vulcan, even by human standards. He had a decided reputation for being both brilliant and slightly eccentric. The Vulcan to human translation of “eccentric” being that he was not completely guided by logic in his decisions. He was far from being a dissident of the Vulcan people. In time, his logic would improve and his emotions would be kept in place. As far as V’Lar was concerned, Ventik had proven his worthiness as a Vulcan when he had contacted Sumarek about Soval’s erratic behavior.

For his part, Phlox was leery about having Ventik examine his patient. *If serving with T’Pol has taught me nothing else, it is how much Vulcans can hold on to their traditions, when it makes no sense to do so,* Phlox noted. The realization made Phlox wonder what Commander Tucker would say when he woke to discover T’Pol to be gone. No doubt she had left him a communiqué as she had the rest of the senior staff. *I wonder how truthful she was in her memo to him.*

Then again, Phlox mused, it would have been difficult for the Sub-Commander to have been truthful with Commander Tucker when she was reluctant to be truthful with herself concerning the engineer.

Presently, Ventik finished his examination. “Commander Tucker is not suffering from any foreseeable side effects of a nerve pinch,” he stated authoritatively.
“How can you be certain?” Phlox inquired.

“While the nerve pinch does not have long term negative effects, it does tend to leave the tissue around the affected nerve minutely swollen for some time. As a result, the victim of the pinch typically feels an amount of discomfort and experiences swelling in the vicinity of the contact. Additionally, the nerve itself would depict some irritation. None of these symptoms are present in your patient,” Ventik informed him.

*And I was worried about him being too reticent?* Phlox thought inwardly. “The only pain Commander Tucker has reported has been in his genital region,” the physician remarked.

Ventik looked at him quizzically. “It is unlikely Soval performed a nerve pinch to Commander Tucker’s genitals,” he stated.

*Ah, who says Vulcans don’t have a sense of humor?* Phlox chuckled to himself. “True. I do not understand however, why Ambassador Soval would claim to have performed a nerve pinch when he clearly did not.”

V’Lar answered this time, “Doctor Phlox, you gave the impression that you were aware of what illness Soval was suffering from when he was in sickbay.”
“Yes,” Phlox agreed. “Pon Far, I believe you call it. And to my knowledge, Vulcans are one of the few species in the galaxy that believe mating to be a disease.”

“There is a reason for our displeasure with the . . . condition. It tends to make one illogical for a time. It also affects a Vulcan’s temperament,” V’Lar noted. “It is possible Soval assaulted Commander Tucker. He would not consciously lie about such an occurrence, but could generally not remember. Soval may well have assaulted the Commander and later discovered him to be unconscious. He may have assumed a nerve pinch was to blame.”

“Commander Tucker was not assaulted,” Phlox replied. “It was one of the first things I checked for when he was brought into sickbay. There were no discernable bruises or swellings of any kind to give any indication he had been assaulted.” He did not add that there was considerable proof that Ambassador Soval had been assaulted.

Ventik was looking at them both curiously, no doubt wondering how this outworlder knew of such a sacred Vulcan secret.

*It’s entirely too bad Vulcans do not wish to share pon far with the larger medical community. It’s terribly intriguing. Not only does it force them to mate, but it increases their hormonal activity, intensifies their temperament, causes bouts of delusion . . . * Phlox stopped mid-thought, startled. It was an impossible thought but yet-the only one that made any sense.

“Dr. Ventik, Ambassador V’Lar, is there any way Ambassador Soval could have . . . transmitted his condition to Commander Tucker?”

“No,” came the immediate reply. “Pon Far is not communicable, Doctor. And I am quite curious as to how you have so much knowledge of our condition,” Ventik replied.

“I’ll answer your question after you answer mine. Commander Tucker has been suffering from many of the same mental conditions you acknowledge come from pon far. His semen count is steadily rising, which I would take it is part of the Vulcan mating ritual as well. Ambassador Soval conveniently was affected with pon far. The two have to bear some relation to one another,” Phlox finished.

“Ambassador Soval was not the only Vulcan aboard,” Ventik replied.

“Sub-Commander T’Pol was not affected with any form of pon far,” Phlox replied.

“What was she affected with?” V’Lar asked.

Phlox shook his head. “I’m afraid I cannot tell you as it would breach doctor-patient confidentiality. But what if she had been affected? Would she have been able to transmit the condition?”

Both Vulcans hesitated and Phlox wondered momentarily if his time with humans had only served to strengthen his temper.

Finally, Ventik spoke. “It is possible. When a Vulcan in pon far mates, it triggers certain biological reactions in the non-affected partner. It is . . . feasible that if Commander Tucker had engaged in sexual intercourse with someone in the throes of pon far, he could have been similarly affected. It is highly illogical, of course, as he is not a Vulcan. However, it is highly illogical that a human should be experiencing symptoms of pon far at all.” Ventik’s brows furrowed a bit in consternation.

“If Sub-Commander T’Pol were here, she would gladly tell you that Commander Tucker is a highly illogical specimen,” Phlox replied. Mentally, he marveled at the man lying on the biobed. First man to get pregnant, first man to have a Vulcan mating condition.

“When you checked for signs of assault, did you check for signs of sexual assault as well?” V’Lar inquired.

“There were no signs of sexual intercourse of any type, forced or otherwise having taken place,” Phlox answered.

The three were silent for a moment before Ventik spoke again. “One thing is certain, Doctor. How it occurred is not immediately important to your patient, but he is undergoing pon far, as both his mental and physical health state. If you wish for him to live, there is only one cure that can be proscribed.”

******

~~~~~Breakfast~~~~~

To say that Captain Archer was sore was an understatement.

The man responsible for his soreness sat to his left, munching nonchalantly on his pancakes. Across from Malcolm sat Ensign Sato, happily enjoying her own breakfast. Ambassador Shran completed their quadruplet.

“Where is Ambassador V’Lar this morning?” The Andorian spoke for the first time.

“She was needed in sickbay,” Archer answered.

“Why is that?” Shran asked. The Andorian watched curiously as Malcolm proceeded to spread more peanut butter over his pancakes. After Malcolm sat the container of peanut butter down, Shran reached for it and began to coat his breakfast as well.

“One of our crew is ill,” Archer remarked, “and Doctor Phlox is uncertain what exactly is wrong with him. He believes Ambassador V’Lar may be able to help.”

“Is your injured crewman Commander Tucker?” Shran further inquired.

“Yes, it is,” Archer informed him.

“What do you call this sticky substance?” Shran asked of Malcolm.

“Peanut butter,” Malcolm replied.

“Do you suppose, Archer, that your government would be willing to trade with Andoria for more of this substance?” Shran inquired.

“I’m sure it can be arranged,” Archer replied, taken by surprise. “Speaking of trade, how much longer do you believe the discussions between you and Ambassador V’Lar are going to take?”

Shran answered. “Both of our people are reviewing the treaty agreement we have tentatively agreed on. If all goes well, then we will be able to sign the treaty in three days. If not, then we will begin the process all over again. I’ll be going back to my ship today, Archer, as there is no reason for me to wait on your ship. I”ll come back when I hear from my people.”

Archer nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll have Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato escort you to the landing bay. I would accompany you, but –“

“But you need to check on your crewman. That is understandable,” Shran remarked.

The four finished their meal in silence. When they rose, Shran spoke again. “I believe Commander Tucker he is capable of being a fine Captain some day. I hope neither illness nor his incident with Ambassador Soval will prevent that from coming true. After all,” The Andorian’s antennae twitched as he chuckled, “I myself have had the urge to slug Soval a few times. I’m sure you have known the urge as well.”

Hoshi and Malcolm did not bother to hide their smiles while Archer chuckled softly. “He’s quite demanding,” he agreed.

****

~~~~~~~~~~

Ventik had not been pleased with the decision to tell Captain Archer exactly what was going on. In the end, however, V’Lar had silenced him by reminding him that not only could she personally vouch for the honorable nature of the Captain, but also that “it is far less riskier to involve one more person than to allow Commander Tucker to die and arouse the suspicion of all of Starfleet Command.”

Logical, Ventik had agreed.

And so, they both sat listening as Phlox described what was wrong to Captain Archer. Ventik was pleased to discover that Phlox left out much of the detail surrounding pon far. He only told the Captain the bare minimum of what he needed to know. Mainly, that it was part of a mating drive in Vulcans and that Commander Tucker was somehow infected.

“How?” came the natural question from Captain Archer.

“We are not certain,” Phox replied.

“How do you plan to cure it?” Archer asked with a frown. From the look on his face, Phlox surmised that his Captain already knew the answer.

“He will need to mate,” Phlox stated.

As expected, Archer did not take that well. “How the hell do you suggest we go about that? This is a ship of professional men and women-I cannot simply go up to one of my female crewmembers and say, ‘Hello, Ensign, would you mind taking time out of your day to have sex with the Chief Engineer?’ To say nothing about the moral implications, that are involved, it would be asking them to directly violate the anti-fraternization laws!”

“Vulcans do not have anti-fraternization laws,” Ventik began. He was unaware of how much that would potentially aggravate the Captain.

“What would be the point? You are only supposed to have sex every seven years anyway!” Then he gave a bitter laugh. The reason for such a laugh was unknown.

Ventik looked at V’Lar questionably. *This* was the man she trusted? It did not seem a prudent decision. Still, he continued. “My people have the capacity to engage in intercourse without attaching feelings to the act. As a result, members of Vulcan crews of both genders are prepared to serve as temporary partners in cases where the ship cannot make it back to our home world in time.”

Archer stared at him, fighting feelings of revulsion. “That’s-“ Archer searched for the word, and then gave up. “That’s great for you,” he said finally. “But it doesn’t help Trip’s situation much.”

“On the contrary,” Ventik replied. “It may.”

“How?”

“Although it is unclear how your engineer was affected, it is certain that he is suffering from a Vulcan condition. We would willingly give of our services. In that way, not only would your engineer’s life be saved, but no one further outside Vulcan would have to know of our private mating rituals,” Ventik explained.

Archer struggled with his anger. “You want me to allow Trip to have sex with one of your crewmembers ?” he asked in disbelief.

“You will want it, if you desire to save his life,” Ventik replied.

“Trip wouldn’t approve. He’d never approve of someone giving their body to him who did not want to be with him,” Archer argued. “Even if he didn’t care about that, he’s in no condition to give his consent. Permitting someone to have sex with him in this state. . . it would be condoning the rape of my best friend.”

“Captain, while that may be true,” Phlox intervened, “You will ultimately have to decide which you value more: Commander Tucker’s feelings or his life. You cannot spare them both.”

Archer felt his resolve begin to crumple. “Isn’t there anything you can do?” he asked Phlox.

Phlox shook his head. “I’m sorry, Captain. It’s very specific and is the result of thousands of years of Vulcan evolution. I can no more do anything for Commander Tucker’s condition than I could for a woman who walked in complaining about her menstrual cycle. I can make them both comfortable, but only until the inevitable result is completed.”

Archer looked down at the man on the biobed. He watched his ragged breathing and trembling body, heard his incoherent murmurings. Trip gave no indication he could even hear what was being said. He was dreaming, Phlox had said. Archer wondered idly if Trip would know the difference between his current dream and what Archer was about to give sanction to. Sweat drenched Trip’s face, soaking his clothes and drenching his hair. Archer leaned forward to wipe a bit of sweat away from his friend’s face and was disturbed to find his friend burning up. He was further disturbed to hear Trip wimper, as though Archer’s very touch hurt him.

“I’m sorry, Trip,” he told the man on the biobed. “And not just for the touch either.”

“Cap’n?” Trip’s eyes were open for the first time since Archer had come in.
“Yeah, it’s me. Listen, I have to ask you a question.”

“Shoot,” Trip replied. “But first-Doc-water?” Trip barely had the strength to hold the cup, but insisted on doing it himself.

“It turns out, in order to cure your illness you have to mate.”

“Have to?”

“If you don’t, you’ll die.”

“Matin’ sounds like the better option, Cap’n.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just make sure she doesn’t wear any damn Triaxian silk,” Trip grumbled.
With that, the connection was gone. The cup fell from Trip’s hands, and the trembles began again with renewed fervor.

The Captain’s resolve crumbled. “She will be a willing partner?” he asked quietly.

“Contrary to what you possibly believe, Vulcans do not condone rape,” Ventik replied.

“He isn’t Vulcan. . . are you certain there will be a Vulcan willing to mate with a human?” the moment Archer asked it, he thought of T’Pol. If she hadn’t left . . . but she had. No point in dwelling on that.

Still, it made him smirk just a tad when Ventik replied, “I am certain it will not be the first time.”

No, Archer reflected, it wouldn’t.

“The volunteer will not be joining with Commander Tucker out of feelings for passion, Captain Archer,” V’Lar reminded him. “She will be mating with him to preserve our species’ privacy and to save a life that would have otherwise been taken because of contact with our species.” V’Lar paused. “She will not only be willing, but will be most honored. Indeed, I myself would volunteer except that she shall need to be with him for a week at least and I will be needed for the peace conference.”

Archer wanted to shout at that moment, and point out the inherent emotionalism connected to honor. But he did not. He simply stated, “I want it to take place on the Enterprise. And in the meantime, Doctor, I want you to find out how the hell Trip came down with this ‘evolutionary’ Vulcan disease.”

****

~~~~~Lunch~~~~~

Lieutenant Hess looked up in surprise as she saw Malcolm and Hoshi walk into the mess hall. Her lunch companion, Travis Mayweather, noticed her look of surprise and turned his head in order to follow her gaze. “Well, what do you suppose is wrong with them?” he asked. He was referring, of course to the lack of friendly banter that was typically present between the linguist and the armory officer.

“I don’t know,” Hess replied. “Maybe one of them realized what other things they could be doing instead of sending each other longing glances and are pissed they’re missing out.”

“What kind of other things?” Travis asked with a grin.

Hess simply smiled suggestively.

Both Hess and Mayweather watched as the two stood silently in line, silently took their trays, and silently scanned opposite sides of the room for someone to sit. Their gazes fell upon Travis and Hess nearly at the same time. They both looked at one another at the same time, as if to judge whether the other wanted to sit at the table more than they did. Seeing their indecision, Travis called, “Hoshi, Malcolm, over here.”

Their decision now made for them, the two made their way to Travis and Hess’ table to eat.

“Well, well, what brings you here to eat with the little people?” Travis teased. Hoshi allowed a small smile and Malcolm rolled his eyes as they both sat down.
“The Captain wasn’t in the mood for lunch,” Hoshi supplanted.

Hess saw that this was her opportunity. While Lieutenant Reed still caused her a degree of anxiety, she decided to go for it anyway. “I take it he was worried about Commander Tucker?” she asked, as casually as possible.

The casual approach didn’t work. The armory officer shot her an icy glare. “What does that mean, Lieutenant?” he demanded.

Hess shrugged. “It’s a small ship, Lieutenant Reed,” she answered. “The rumor mill’s going full force.”

“It would be wise not to listen to the rumor mill,” Malcolm replied.
“Maybe. All I know is that Commander Tucker used to be in the brig, now he’s in sickbay. And I’m worried about my commanding officer. I’m not the only one,” Hess finished. That much was definitely true. It was a miracle any work had been finished in engineering, considering the amount of speculation that was taking place.

Malcolm sighed and pushed his pasta around on his plate irritably, trying to decide how much was appropriate to reveal. While his companions were undoubtedly worried about Trip, there was still a certain amount of protocol to be maintained. “Commander Tucker’s charges have been dropped,” he told her finally, “as it has been determined he was not in control of his senses at the time of the so-called incident. As for what’s wrong with him exactly, only Doctor Phlox and Captain Archer know for certain. His treatment, however, is due to arrive from the Vulcan ship this evening.”

“He’s going to be all right, then?” Hess pressed.

“As long as he responds to treatment,” Malcolm replied.

“That’s good. It’ll be great to have him back in engineering. I like to think I’m competent, but there’s a reason he’s chief of engineering,” Hess remarked. “By the way, what in the world did Ensign Connelly do to deserve the punishment you dished out to her, if I may ask?”

“What kind of punishment?” Travis piqued up.

Hess chuckled. “She’s been temporarily transferred to engineering to scrub plasma conduits for three weeks solid.”

“Ouch!” Travis laughed. “What’d she do, Malcolm?”

Malcolm scowled. Connelly had been the one in charge of watching Commander Tucker when he had began to . . . enjoy himself in the brig. “Let’s just say she was less than professional to Commander Tucker while he was in custody.”

Hess’ eyes darkened. “In that case, I’ll be sure she has a particularly pleasant experience while under my command,” she promised.

Malcolm smiled. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it, Lieutenant,” he rejoined.

“Oh, Malcolm, for heaven’s sake, we’re eating LUNCH!” It was the first time Hoshi had spoken since they had sat down. “This is hardly the place to be so formal, regardless of what type of issues you might have against the evils of fraternization!” With that, Hoshi got up from the table, taking her tray but leaving behind three very stunned companions.

“What was that about?” Travis asked in amazement. To his knowledge, Hoshi had never told anyone off in such a manner. Certainly never a superior officer.
“She’s not very happy with me at the moment,” Malcolm responded truthfully. “If you’ll excuse me, I have things in the armory that require my attention.”

Watching Malcolm go, Hess shook her head. “How can two people be so oblivious?” she questioned. “Since I’ve been filling in for Commander Tucker, I couldn’t possibly miss the looks they are giving each other. How could they?”

Travis shrugged. “It was even worse when the Sub-Commander and Trip were on the bridge. The way Malcolm and Hoshi communicate with their looks? Nothing compared to how T’Pol and Trip communicated verbally.”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me, I’ve heard them going at it in engineering before. I feel kinda bad for both of them, now. They obviously had some type of attraction for one another. Yet they never got together before she had to leave. Why’s everyone on this ship so damn stubborn?”

“I don’t know. But I feel sorry for Hoshi. Malcolm’s never going to be willing to engage in a relationship on board,” Travis replied, draining his milk.

“Hmm. I wouldn’t be so sure, Travis. He’s a lot more open minded than his reputation suggests. He might come around to it, given the right amount of prodding,” Hess argued.

“Never.”

“Care to wager a bet, Ensign?”

“Absolutely. Terms?”

“I have until the Enterprise is hauled back to Earth to win. Loser has to tell Commander Tucker what a nice ass he has.”

Travis laughed. “I hadn’t noticed. But since I know Lieutenant Reed, I just hope you feel comfortable complimenting your CO’s ass.”

Hess shrugged. “I’d just like to see that ass again. I rather miss it.” She grinned. “And the body that’s attached to it.”

“I’ll agree with you on the second part of that statement,” Travis agreed.

***

Please Review. It pleases the muse, cranky witch that she is.

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Four of you have made comments

Wow. Keeping going. They are going to find out what that creep Soval did, right?

WOOOHOO!!! ITs back! Yes YES!!! I've been waiting and hoping and waiting and waiting and waiting!

Great continuation!

This is brilliant, but gulp! I don't want Trip to have to mate with any Vulcan but T'Pol. As for what that sneaky Soval did to him, I think that punch on the nose was too good for him. I love this and it is getting better with each post. Keep going and many thanks for a great story, Ali D :~)

I too was happy to see the next installment posted. I love all the different layers you keep developing and can't wait to see where you take your readers next!