Daybreak- Chapter 13

Daybreak

by ShouldKnowBetter

Disclaimers in Chapter 1

~~~~~~~

Chapter 13- Hijack

“How’s Soval?”

Cole’s response to Tucker’s innocent question was one of the blackest scowls he had seen in a long time. “If that’s your idea of a subtle way of asking if Soval and I really sleep together, captain, you’re way off track.”

He sighed and pulled her to one side of the corridor where he had intercepted her.
“Actually, I just wanted to know how he was. If I ask him, he’ll say he’s fine, even if he’s not.”

“Oh.” Cole shrugged faintly at her overreaction. “He’s sore, grumpy,” she gestured with the mug she held, “wants his morning tea.”

Tucker grinned. “He’s got you well trained. You never brought me tea.”

“You weren’t ninety seven years older than me, with a broken arm and cracked ribs.”

“Is he gonna be up to the meeting with Degra and the Insectoids this afternoon?”

“Sure. He’ll only get more grumpy if you leave him out.”

“Okay.” He gave Cole a long look. “Sounds like you’ve already had more than enough questions about you two.”

“You could say that.”

She glowered at him again, waiting for more intrusive questions, and Tucker sighed. She’d be furious with him for asking, but she was one of his best friends and he owed her. “Amanda, are you sure you really love Soval?” Her chin came up and he added hastily, “You told me how he helped you when you were ill. Maybe you’re just grateful.”

“Like you were, when T’Pol helped you after Elizabeth died?” Cole didn’t give him the chance to either apologise or defend himself. “Yeah, I thought of that, Trip. It’s not true.”

“But you have to admit, it’s weird.”

A smile curved her mouth. “That Soval would fall for me, or me for him? Yeah, it’s pretty weird, and if the Xindi hadn’t attacked Earth, it wouldn’t have happened. But that changed a lot of things, Trip, and not just us Humans.”

“You sound like you’ve thought a lot about it.”

“I have.” The smile had faded, and her dark eyes were serious. “That’s the main reason I love Soval, Trip. He makes me think, he makes me see things differently. He challenges me! No one ever did that before.”

“I guess you know what you’re doing.”

The dubious response brought the laughter back into her face. “Why, thank you, captain. And now I have to go take my husband his tea.”

~

The scheduled meeting very nearly didn’t get off the ground. The MACOs had almost become accustomed to having Xindi-Arboreals on Enterprise and Degra was another reasonably known quantity. The Insectoid caused a certain amount of tension when he – or possibly she, or even it – emerged from the airlock. But the Reptile who followed almost had his head blown off.

“Hold your fire!” Tucker’s order wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, although he glared at Cole, whose weapon had been one of the first to be snapped into position. Once he was certain that things were moderately under control, he turned the glare on the Reptile, who appeared to be smirking. “Who the hell are you?”

“His name is Malom.” Sato was part of the group, her eyes currently fixed on the Universal Translator in her hand, as she tried to make sense of the clicks produced by the Insectoid. “He’s Dolum’s lieutenant.”

“And I saved your life.” The Reptile sounded as unpleasant as every other member of his sub-species that Tucker had ever had the misfortune to meet. “Yours and the Vulcan’s and Degra’s.”

Tucker stared at the hated physiognomy, remembering the snap as Soval’s arm broke, the blood on Graveney’s face, T’Pol’s white and terrified face on Ceti Alpha V, Elizabeth and five billion others. The MACOs were tensed and ready, covering not only the Reptile, but every other Xindi present, just in case they were in on a plot that threatened Enterprise and her crew. One order from him and there would be four less Xindi in the universe – and Humanity would still be teetering on the brink of extinction. “We’re grateful.” He could hear the harshness in his voice and couldn’t bring himself to give a damn. “Maybe you’d care to tell us why.”

The mouth opened in a parody of a smile. “But of course, Captain Tucker.”

~

Malom’s agenda turned out to be quite simple. That the Guardians might be trans-dimensional beings intent on invasion didn’t concern him. That his sub-species had alienated the rest of Xindi was a passing inconvenience. All he saw was an opportunity to overthrow Dolum and further his own career. He delivered his ultimatum with the same note of triumph that had already tightened the muscles in Tucker’s jaw. “You want the weapon. I know where it is. You take it and I’ll have Dolum eviscerated for incompetence.”

There was silence around the table, where the other three Xindi and two Vulcans sat. Tucker waited a moment, until a quick look told him that no one else was prepared to go first. “Then I guess we’ve got a deal.”

~

No one appreciated Tucker’s snap decision, even though all the subsequent discussions led to the same conclusion. By that time, Malom was long gone, back to prepare for his bid for power before Dolum became suspicious of his absence. His choice made, Tucker had dropped out of the argument, most of his attention focussed on formulating a plan that would give them a cat-in-hell’s chance of success.

He missed the moment when the rest finally came to agreement, and only looked up when Degra said politely, “Captain Tucker?”

“We have to move fast.” He didn’t wait to hear the opinions of the rest. Every instinct was screaming at him that this might be their last chance. “Before Malom changes his mind, or that weapon can be launched.”

The Humanoid hesitated, casting an almost nervous glance around at the other Xindi. “We agree that we must accept Malom’s offer. But it will take time to assemble a task force. Our ships are scattered and …”

“No. We go in now or not at all.” Slowly, Tucker moved his eyes around the table, making very sure he had everyone’s attention. “I don’t trust the Reptiles. We can’t risk waiting.”

“But,” Degra gestured out of the view port, where the ships that had brought the various Xindi representatives could just be seen, “none of us came prepared for this. Our ships are small, lightly armed.”

“Force isn’t gonna work here.” Tucker had rarely felt so focused, so very sure of himself. “Surprise might. If you’ll lend me your ship,” he nodded to the Insectoid, “I’ll take a team in to capture that weapon.” Again he took a look at the others assembled there. “Trust me. I’ve got a lot riding on this one.”

~

Tucker had been so inspired that the Xindi’s agreement came as no surprise. What did pull him up short was the doubt of his own people. “Last time we tried this,” Mayweather folded his arms, staring belligerently back at his captain across the width of command centre, “Captain Archer was captured and Earth was destroyed. Do we want to go there again, captain?”

“This time we know the weapon’s there.” He had known that encouraging discussion on Enterprise was a bad move: Archer had never had this trouble. “There’ll be no reconnaissance mission first.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of Soval’s eyebrows rise; the former intelligence officer approved of reconnaissance missions. “We go in, take the weapon and get out fast.” He paused for a moment. “This isn’t up for debate, people. These are my orders.” The latter word was stressed. “Travis, you’ll stay with Enterprise, just outside sensor range of the facility. Give us four hours. If we’re not back, head for Vulcan at maximum warp. Don’t stop until you get there. Soval, you’ll have to see that the right people do the right things.” He switched his gaze onto Cole. “Amanda, put together the best assault team you can and appoint someone to lead it.” Her head came up sharply, but he had already moved on. “Hoshi, you’ll come with me and the MACOs. Malom said that the controls of the weapon are encrypted. We’ll need someone to decode them for us. Peter, I’ll need a pilot.” For the first time, he tried to lighten the atmosphere a little. “I doubt the weapon’ll handle quite like Enterprise. Think you can manage it?”

“Of course, captain.”

Graveney’s young face was shining with enthusiasm at being selected, and Tucker nearly backed off his choice – but it wasn’t really a choice. He needed a good pilot and Enterprise needed Mayweather. That left an eighteen-year-old kid, who should have been entering his second year at Starfleet academy, if the universe had been a kinder place. “You have your orders. We leave in an hour.”

“Captain,” there was an implacable note to T’Pol’s voice that made Tucker wince internally, “I am the logical choice to decipher any encryption algorithms.”

“You’re on maternity leave, sub-commander. Request denied.”

“You are allowing sentiment to affect your decisions.”

“I said it’s not up for debate, T’Pol. I meant it.”

She moved towards him, mouth set in a stubborn line. “I will accompany you.”

Tucker’s face set in an expression of equal stubbornness. “Dismissed.” He was only partially aware of the rest filing out. Most of his attention was focussed on the lovely, much loved face tilted up to his. “You’re not going.”

“I have no intention of remaining on Enterprise yet again, while you risk your life.”

T’Pol’s voice was soft, but Tucker wasn’t fooled: she was furious with him, and he wasn’t off the hook yet. “How d’you expect me to concentrate on the mission if I have to keep worrying about you?” It was a low blow, but he didn’t care.

“You are the captain.” A faintly sarcastic note crept into her voice this time. “You will worry no less about Hoshi, or Peter.”

Using their first names was also a foul hit, and Tucker glared. “It’s not the same.”

“No.” She moved even closer. “We are affianced. I will come with you.”

“No, you won’t.”

She reached up to grab the front of his jumpsuit, pulling herself up to thrust her nose into his startled face. “I will not wait for you to return! Not again!”

“Uh, T’Pol …”

“I am going with you.”

“T’Pol …”

“Will you deny me?”

“No.” She released him abruptly, and they stood facing each other, both breathing hard, T’Pol from emotion, Tucker from near strangulation. After a moment, Tucker drew her to him, pressing his cheek to hers as he cradled her close. “But if anything happens to you, I’ll break off the engagement.”

~

The rest of the team were waiting when Tucker and T’Pol arrived at the airlock, but he frowned at one of them. “What are you doing here, sergeant?”

“Waiting for you, sir.”

Cole’s snappy response didn’t amuse him one bit. “I told you to appoint someone else to lead the team.”

“No, sir, you told me to put together the best team possible. That includes me, sir.”

He grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the airlock. “Does Soval know what you’re doing?”

“Of course he does.” Cole’s tone was pitying. “We talk to each other, Trip. Not like some people I could mention.” Her eyes went over his shoulder and her mouth curved. “Although I guess T’Pol did some fast talking this time around.” Then she turned the smile on him. “Don’t let sentiment get in the way, captain. You need me.”

He sighed, but there wasn’t time to argue. Besides, he didn’t want to lose twice in a row. He turned to the rest of the group. “Let’s go.”

Behind him, Cole added cheerfully, “D’you why Soval reckoned I should come along?” Both he and T’Pol tried forbidding looks as the group dispersed themselves around the small flight deck of the Insectoid ship they had borrowed. But they were pointedly ignored as Cole continued, to no one in particular, “He wanted to be sure there was someone sensible on the job, to keep the captain out of trouble.”

The resulting laughter was a good start to the mission, although Tucker would have been a great deal happier if it hadn’t been at his expense. And if he hadn’t been convinced that Cole wasn’t joking.

~

Malom hadn’t been lying; the weapon was where he had said it would be, in orbit around a barren planet. Even at the maximum range of the sensors of the Insectoid ship, the weapon’s scale was impressive, visible as a dark spot against the orange-tinged planet. The weapons that had devastated Earth’s surface had been ten times smaller: not that that had made any difference to the outcome.

“Can you get anything useful?” Tucker asked T’Pol, where she was studying the unfamiliar symbols via the translation matrix that Sato had provided.

“There is a good deal of orbital traffic.” Her voice was calm, precise. “From the configuration of the vessels, most appear to be Reptilian, but there are a small minority of Insectoid.” She raised her head. “We should not stand out.”

“Good.” Tucker nodded to where Graveney sat, anxiously waiting his orders. “Take us in, Peter.”

~

For the first time in years, luck seemed to be with them. No one challenged their easy-paced approach to the weapon, perhaps because their domination had made the Reptiles complacent. They docked, took a few minutes to familiarise themselves with the plan of the interior that T’Pol was able to deduce from further scans, then the MACOs erupted through the airlock and into the main body of the weapon.

As they had hoped, there were few guards and fewer still construction workers. Malom had told them that construction was complete, with only a few final tests to be made, and they had relied on that to give them a relatively clear run to the control centre. There were people there, but their progress through the vessel had been so swift that they hadn’t been warned that they were under attack. Nor were they given a chance to surrender; the MACOs took them down, without regard to species. There would be time later to find out if any of the Arboreals and Humanoids working on the project were doing so under duress, but the Humans’ first priority was to take the facility.

With the control centre secured, Cole left two guards then departed with the rest of her team to sweep the other parts of the weapon, while T’Pol tackled the encryption algorithms and Graveney tried to figure out the helm controls. Tucker just worried. Nothing was ever this simple, not when Humans were involved.

~

Mayweather hadn’t liked being left behind, even if it meant that he got to occupy the comfy chair in the centre of the Bridge. He understood why Tucker had left him in command. He agreed with the captain’s decision. But that didn’t mean he enjoyed waiting while others did the dirty work. It was a relief when T’Pol’s replacement at the science station looked up urgently. “Commander, there’s a ship approaching.”

“Configuration?”

“I’m not sure, sir.” The man was puzzled. “It seems to be,” he paused, but it had to be said, “Andorian.”

~

Tucker’s worrying had been justified. They weren’t even close to figuring out how to open a sub-space corridor when an incessant beeping began. T’Pol glanced over at it. “Someone is hailing us.”

“Ignore it.” He hit random buttons until the sound cut off. “How’s it going?”

“We have identified the navigation controls.”

“How much longer?”

“Thirty minutes. Perhaps more.”

He winced, knowing that was nowhere near good enough, but asking them to speed it up was pointless. Cole erupted back into the room as precipitously as she had left it. “The place is clear, sir, but some of them got away. A group of Reptiles made it into an airlock. There must have been a shuttle docked. We heard it disengage.”

For once Tucker refrained from swearing. “T’Pol, Peter, we’re gonna have to move. How long?”

Graveney shot T’Pol a quick look, then turned a confident face up to his captain. “I could break orbit now, captain.”

“Setting a course is another matter.” T’Pol’s tone was dry, but a lifted eyebrow acknowledged that they might have little choice.

The sound of weapons fire impacting the outer hull was unmistakable and Tucker didn’t wait any longer. “Get us moving, Peter. T’Pol, we’re gonna have to get that sub-space corridor open, wherever it leads us.”

“That could be dangerous,” but her fingers were already moving rapidly over the control panel before her.

The deck below their feet lurched, but from the movement of the vessel itself rather than further weapons’ fire. “Let’s hope they don’t wanna damage their own property,” Tucker murmured mostly to himself, then span around as the sound of a transport caught his attention.

Cole and the other MACOs were even quicker, however. The incoming figures were shot as soon as they had solidified enough to be vulnerable, and Cole smiled thinly in satisfaction. “They don’t learn, do they?”

“Pray they don’t,” Tucker replied harshly, as the vessel was hit by external fire again. “T’Pol?”

“I am initiating the tachyon beam.”

On the small screen, a beam shot out ahead of them, and space started to deform. The sound of another transport was loud, but this time Cole’s response was a curse. Tucker looked behind him in time to see Chang’s horrified expression as he dematerialised, and gritted his teeth: the Reptiles had learnt from their mistakes. “Shields?”

“You requested propulsion!” T’Pol’s response was accusatory. “The corridor is open.”

“Go!” In response to Tucker’s order, the vessel leapt forward under Graveney’s guiding hand and for a second he thought that they might make it with minimal casualties. Then the whine of another transport cut off that thought, and T’Pol’s gasp made his heart stop. His instinctive lunge for her passed through space that she no longer occupied, and before he could order them to turn back, space distorted around them as the weapon shot into the sub-space corridor T’Pol had opened. It took him several long moments to notice that Cole had also disappeared.

~

The ship that dropped out of warp had to be Andorian, because the face that appeared on Enterprise’s view screen was Shran’s. He regarded Mayweather thoughtfully for a moment. “I don’t know you. You must be one of the underlings.”

“Commander Mayweather, Enterprise’s first officer.” Mayweather wasn’t grateful for that assessment of his importance, not when he was already frustrated at having been left behind. “What are you doing here, Colonel Shran?”

“Where’s Captain Tucker?”

“Not here. You can talk to me.”

The Andorian grimaced, but shrugged. “Very well. Oh,” he raised a hand in simulated forgetfulness, “I’d like Soval to hear this too.”

~

Soval looked even more bad tempered than normal when he joined Mayweather in the briefing room. “What is it?”

“An old friend stopped by.” Mayweather hadn’t liked the Vulcan’s tone, so he chose not to be helpful. “He said he wanted to see you.”

“Who?”

Soval got the answer when the door opened again to allow Shran to enter, his guard remaining discreetly outside. The Andorian’s smile, when he noticed Soval’s fading injuries, wasn’t pleasant. “Who did you annoy this time, Soval?”

“What are you doing in the Delphic Expanse, Colonel Shran?”

“The same as you.” He sauntered forward to peer into the Vulcan’s face. “Carrying out my government’s instructions.”

“I am here at the behest of more than the Vulcan High Council.”

Shran’s expression twisted into irritation as he turned away. “Andoria doesn’t recognise your authority to negotiate with the Xindi.”

“So they sent you instead?” The scepticism in the Vulcan’s voice was plain rude.

“Yes!” Shran paused a moment to rein in his anger. “Captain Archer had an expression for it: gunboat diplomacy.”

Soval grimaced in incomprehension, and Mayweather said doubtfully, “Negotiating with a gun to their heads? I can’t see that working. Actually, I can’t see the gun.”

“Look out the window.” This time the Andorian’s smile was smug. “We learnt more than you Humans from the trial of the Xindi weapon four years ago. That ship out there can destroy a planet! We’ll show you how to negotiate a peace with the Xindi.”

“Your logic is flawed.” Soval sounded as if he was gritting his teeth. “The Xindi have no central government for you to threaten. They do not even have any large centres of population for you to hold to ransom. And any move by you,” he finished harshly, “could destabilise the relations that Captain Tucker has established with several of the Xindi sub-species.”

“You can’t bear to be beaten, can you, Soval? Vulcans always have to be superior.” Shran shrugged and moved towards the door. “We’ll see who succeeds.”

Soval glared at Mayweather, who could only shrug back. He didn’t think his authority extended to detaining members of other species – particularly those who hadn’t yet done anything wrong.

~

When the weapon dropped out of sub-space uncomfortably close to Enterprise some two hours later, Mayweather and Soval met the shuttle pod that had been sent across to bring the away team back. Tucker looked between them and said bleakly, “They transported T’Pol, Amanda and Chang off the weapon just as we entered sub-space. We couldn’t turn back.”

“It’s worse than that, Trip.” Mayweather bit his lip, but it had to be said. “We heard from Dolum. He said you’ve got a choice: hand the weapon back or he’ll kill them.”

~

“Vulcan.” Dolum’s sneer seemed to have deepened. “I’m glad you survived after all. Tell the Human Tucker that we want the weapon back. Or else,” his mouth dropped open in a smile, “they will die.” The visual pickup turned to follow him as he moved, to reveal the missing trio seated on the floor. Dolum’s clawed hand dragged T’Pol to her feet, to allow those watching to see the fear in her eyes. “This one first. Her,” obscenely, Dolum’s hand ran down the front of T’Pol’s body to rest on her swelling belly, “and the child she carries. Tell Tucker that.”

The replay ended and Tucker dropped his head, hands gripping the back of the command chair. The rest of the Bridge crew waited in silence, until Sato said doubtfully, “We’ll return the weapon, won’t we, captain? There must be another …”

“No.” Tucker hadn’t moved, and his voice was strangled. “No, we have to go through with it.”

“Trip …” Mayweather broke off, since he didn’t really know what he could say, and Tucker finally looked up, his complexion even more ashen than before he’d heard Dolum’s ultimatum.

“This might be our only chance to destroy those spheres. What would Degra and the rest of the Xindi say if we backed out now?” He turned his head stiffly in Soval’s direction, silently begging for support, or maybe for a get-out clause.

The Vulcan stared back for a moment. “I concur.” Soval’s voice was quiet but firm. Only Sato was close enough to see that he was holding himself so rigidly that the tendons stood out on the back of his uninjured hand.

“No!” Mayweather’s denial made them all turn in his direction. “That weapon isn’t our only chance.” His determined gaze fixed on Tucker’s despairing one. “That message from Dolum threw us all, and we forgot something important: Shran dropped by. He’s got a ship with weapons based on Xindi planet-busting technology. Why don’t we hand back the Xindi weapon – and use Shran’s against the key sphere?”

There was total silence around the Bridge, broken when Tucker said huskily, “Why don’t we? Soval?”

“I suggest you pursue Shran cloaked,” the Vulcan still sounded calm, but his eyes told a different story, “and with weapons charged.” Then he injected an unpleasant note of political realism into the scenario. “I will accept sole responsibility for the consequences with Andoria’s government.”

~

Enterprise couldn’t fire cloaked, but she fired the moment she dropped out of warp, at almost point blank range, and had the propulsion systems of the other ship disabled before the Andorians realised they had visitors.

“Hail them.” Tucker didn’t waste time on pleasantries as his fellow captain’s outraged image appeared on the view screen. “Shran, I want your ship.”

~

Shran didn’t need much persuasion to visit Enterprise in order to express his anger at the unprovoked attack. He strode into the command centre, not halting until he was nose to chin with Tucker. “I always knew you were a puppet of the Vulcans! My government will hear of this.”

“I don’t give a damn what you think.” Temper had replaced Tucker’s earlier despair – it made it easier to sustain the hope that they could get T’Pol back unharmed. “I just want your cooperation.”

“You hope to achieve that by firing on us?”

“I wanted to be sure you’d listen.”

“You ensured I would not the moment you said ‘fire’!”

The Andorian stalked towards the door, to find his way blocked by McKenzie, a plasma rifle cradled casually across her chest. “You heard the captain.” Her voice was hard. “You’ll listen.”

He didn’t break eye contact with her, although he addressed Tucker. “This is piracy, Captain Tucker.”

“Maybe it is. But I really don’t care.” The captain hit a button on the console beside him, and Dolum’s message played itself out again.

Shran watched reluctantly, but he did watch, and some of his anger had faded when he spoke again. “I’m sorry for your loss, captain. She was a fine woman – for a Vulcan. But this is nothing to do with me.”

“It could be.” Tucker had calmed down a little too, although he remained no less focussed on what he wanted. “Shran, the spheres that create the spatial anomalies were built by a species from another dimension. The purpose of the spheres is to transform space to allow the Sphere Builders to live here – which will mean the end for the rest of us. We stole the Xindi weapon to destroy the Spheres, but maybe your ship could do that for us instead.”

“It could.” Mayweather had entered the room in time to catch the final sentence. He held a PADD out to Tucker. “Scans show it packs enough firepower to destroy Sphere 41. Phlox reckons he can produce an anti-toxin to enable the crew to survive in the anomaly field long enough to deliver the payload.”

“An interesting theory, Captain Tucker.” The Andorian was clearly sceptical. “But why should I believe you? You’re desperate, and desperate men aren’t to be trusted.”

“We can show you the evidence. But not right now.”

“How convenient!” Shran turned to look at Soval, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation. “I’m surprised at you, Soval. Even the Vulcan High Council won’t like this when they hear of it.”

“Will you cooperate?” The short sentence made it clear to anyone who knew Vulcans why Soval had kept out of the debate: he was very angry indeed.

Shran didn’t know Vulcans as well as he thought he did. He didn’t know the risk he took, with his taunting tone. “Cooperate? With someone who despises me? Why should I?”

Only Cole knew how fast Soval could move when he wanted to, even with three cracked ribs, and she wasn’t there to stop him. His hand closed on Shran’s throat before the Andorian knew what was happening. “Because if you do not, my wife, my daughter and my unborn grandchild will die! Because if you do not,” one of Vulcan’s senior ambassadors concluded furiously, “I will kill you!”

Tucker pulled Soval away, perhaps not quite as quickly as he might have done, and the Andorian staggered back, clutching his throat. “Emotion, Soval?” He sounded as if speech was painful. “From you?”

The Vulcan glared back for a moment, before very deliberately tucking his hands inside the cuffs of his robes, just as he tucked his feelings back under the layers of mental discipline. “Will you cooperate?”

Shran glanced from Soval to Tucker and back again. “Yes.”

“Thanks.” Tucker knew that the single word was entirely inadequate, but he didn’t have time to make speeches. “We’ll give you the coordinates of the key sphere. The rest of us,” he drew a deep breath, “we’ll see if Dolum keeps his word.”

~

The sight of Dolum’s jeering face on the view screen made Tucker want to throw something at the image, but he managed to restrain the urge. “You’ve got something I want.”

The Reptile’s mouth opened in a smile. “So I have.”

“Prove to me that T’Pol and the others are okay and I’ll start back with the weapon.”

“But of course!” A gesture brought another Reptile onto the screen, dragging T’Pol with him. “See? Would I hurt such a pretty little mammal?”

“You bet your life you would.” Tucker’s eyes were on the image of T’Pol, studying her pale face. There was no visible sign of injury, but she looked terrified, all her controls stripped away again. “It’s okay, honey. We’ll soon have you back.”

“Don’t!” Her mouth shook. “Charles, you …”

“Enough!” She was dragged away at a wave of Dolum’s hand. “Come quickly, Human. You wouldn’t want me to grow impatient.”

The screen changed back to the normal view of space, and Tucker slammed his hand into the back of Graveney’s chair, that was handily placed. “Get us moving, Peter. Travis’ll play leap-frog with the weapon – Enterprise can’t keep pace.” The helmsman nodded and set to work, and Tucker turned to Phlox, who had been observing from the back of the Bridge. “Well?”

“I can’t be sure,” it was the physician’s traditional disclaimer, “but she’s already missed one treatment. The drugs are essential to keep her from rejecting the foetus.”

“I know that, doc. How long?”

“With the stress of imprisonment,” the Denobulan faltered, but forced himself to continue under Tucker’s steady gaze, “no more than two hours.”

~
When Dolum flung T’P back onto the floor beside the others, Cole just managed to break her fall, easing the other woman around to sit beside her. “Are you okay?” She knew it was a stupid question, because T’Pol was shaking, clearly in distress. “Trip’ll get us out.”

“He will not.” The soft voice was unsteady too. “He cannot.”

Cole swallowed, forcing herself to accept T’Pol’s statement. Her association with Soval had taught her enough about politics to recognise that it was the truth, unpleasant though it was to know that individuals sometimes had to be sacrificed for the greater good. “The needs of the many, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I hope Soval really believes that.” She had a nasty feeling that the mean old Vulcan would be quietly devastated at losing her.

“Charles does not.”

“No.” Cole could remember all too clearly just how shattered Tucker had been when first Archer and then T’Pol and Reed disappeared into the region of space around Azati Prime. He’d kept going then because he’d had to; there’d been no one else left to lead Enterprise out of the Delphic Expanse. But would he be able to cope this time, if he lost T’Pol and Lorien? Cole didn’t know, but she wondered suddenly if that was the real cause of T’Pol’s fear – not the prospect of her own death, but the thought of what might happen to Tucker if she died. Tentatively Cole laid a hand on the Vulcan woman’s arm, not knowing if she would be rejected or not. But after a moment, a small, warm hand covered hers and gripped tightly.

~

When the familiar image formed in his command centre, Dolum was pleased to be able to report success. “The Human ship is approaching. The weapon too. You won’t have long to wait.”

“You’re sure?” The female figure seemed agitated. “Both the weapon and the Human vessel?”

“Of course I’m sure! Look!” He gestured to the bank of monitors to one side, but the projection did not bother to check.

“The weapon isn’t powered? They could turn it on you.”

Dolum snorted rudely. “Not while I hold the hostages. These mammals are too sentimental. We have them this time.”

The projection turned her back, finally staring at the screens that showed the approaching vessels. “Then why do the timelines continue to move against us?”

~

Over the objections of his officers, Tucker was the only Human on the weapon when it came out of the sub-space corridor that returned it to the location Dolum had specified. Very deliberately, he powered-down the propulsion system and walked slowly to the main launch bay, where a shuttle pod awaited – a shuttle pod and another Xindi ship, that had just docked. The hatch to the latter opened to allow Dolum to descend, followed by T’Pol, Cole and Chang, then further Reptiles, weapons covering the three from Enterprise. But all Tucker could see was T’Pol, gasping in pain, on her feet only because Cole and Chang kept her there. It didn’t need Phlox’ report to tell him that her body was once again rejecting the child that was an impossible mix of them both. “I kept my side of the bargain, Dolum. Hand them over.”

It wasn’t really a surprise when the Reptile threw back his head in a contemptuous laugh. “Make me, Human! Make me.”

“I thought you might say that.” Tucker’s voice was quiet, but there was no hesitation as he raised his right hand so that Dolum could see the beacon he activated. “Let’s see if we can.”

“Kill them!”

Dolum’s response was only fractionally delayed by his fury at being defied, but Cole and Chang were very sharp and Tucker had relied on their instinct to fight rather than submit tamely to execution. They turned on their guards before Dolum had completed his order, and Tucker too flung himself forward, pulling the phase pistol that he had holstered in the small of his back. Dolum roared in fury and leapt to meet him, just managed to evade the beam from the phase pistol, and knocked Tucker flying. The Reptile landed on top, winding the Human badly, and had one fist raised to split Tucker’s skull open when he faltered at the top of the blow and slowly toppled to one side. Startled to be alive, Tucker had time to look up into T’Pol’s white, tear-streaked face before she too collapsed to the floor.

“Captain!” Cole’s urgent shout forced his attention from T’Pol’s limp body, to see that the MACOs had dealt with the other guards, although Chang’s face was streaked with blood from a nasty head wound. “There are more inside the ship.”

Cole was struggling to close the hatch into the other vessel, hampered by a confiscated Xindi weapon and by the fact that the controls had been designed to be operated by someone at least twenty centimetres taller than herself. Tucker stumbled across to do the job for her, while she discouraged anyone who might come out to investigate with a staccato burst of fire. “What now, captain?” She got her answer as the weapon rocked with a massive explosion, but one that came from inside rather than without. “Oh, great, Trip! What was this? A suicide mission?”

“Not if Enterprise can get here in time. Get to the shuttle pod.” Gently, he eased T’Pol’s unconscious body into his arms, feeling her stir slightly against him. “Hold on, honey. We’re nearly home.”

Cole was already powering up the shuttle pod. “How do we get out, captain?”

He placed T’Pol gently on a couch with Chang to hold her steady, and joined the other woman in the forward section, taking the secondary seat. “Through the wall.” The blast from the phase cannon blew a satisfying hole, and Cole laughed in exhilaration as she swooped the shuttle pod out into free space – unfortunately empty free space.

Her laugh died as she peered around. “Trip?”

“Keep going.” His attention was focussed on the weapon behind them, where explosions were now starting to show themselves on the surface, and he swore softly as the smaller Xindi ship emerged from the hole they had blown.

“Tucker!” The voice from the comm. indicated that T’Pol hadn’t succeeded in breaking Dolum’s neck, just in rendering him far too temporarily unconscious.

“Tucker.” That soft statement came from within the shuttle pod, and they all jumped, staring at the female form that had appeared. “So it was the Humans who threatened us after all.” The beam from Chang’s weapon passed straight through the figure and she smiled thinly. “And we thought it was the Vulcans.” Her head turned to where T’Pol lay, raising her head weakly to look at the strange figure too. “Or is it the half-breed child?” She moved forward and Tucker leapt to interpose himself between her and T’Pol – pointlessly, as a seemingly solid hand entered his chest and he collapsed to the deck. “No matter. You’ll all die – but the child first.” The hand stretched out towards T’Pol’s stomach, then halted as an expression of horror and pain crossed the bland face. “No! What …?” A crackling appeared across the surface of the projection. “No!” And with a last cry the Guardian faded from the universe she had tried to invade.

The shocked silence was broken when the shuttle pod rocked with incoming fire, and Cole scrambled back to the helm, swearing as she tried to set a course away from the Xindi ship that had closed with them. She was too busy to notice the moment when Enterprise decloaked and blew the ship and Dolum back into the atoms from which they had been constructed.

~

With the weapon on the verge of destruction from the charges Tucker had had laid in its innermost core, there wasn’t time for the shuttle pod to dock with Enterprise. The four were beamed on board their mother ship, before she turned and ran from the final explosion that tore the massive sphere apart, although Tucker, still dazed from the Guardian’s assault, didn’t even care. The only thing that mattered to him was that T’Pol was in pain and yet tried to push Phlox away when he leant over her, scanner in hand. “Honey,” somehow Tucker found the strength to pin her against him, “calm down. You’re safe now.”

“No.” She wasn’t protesting his ascertain, her eyes fixed fearfully on the Denobulan, whose regretful expression explained why.

“You’re in labour, T’Pol,” he said gently. “I’m sorry, but it’s too late to stop the baby being born now.” She gave a small sob, and turned her head into Tucker’s chest, while his arms tightened protectively. “We must get you to Sickbay.” Phlox voice was very calm and Tucker nodded automatically, gently easing T’Pol into his arms, incapable of saying anything remotely useful. The doctor’s arm steadied him as he rose and they left the transporter room side by side.

Cole watched them go sadly, not moving when Soval appeared rather precipitously in the doorway. He halted a couple of metres from her, studying her impassively, and her mouth pulled to one side in a rueful grimace. “Maybe we should stay together in future.”

“That might be as well.” His tone was cool.

“Travis, Chang,” Cole hadn’t moved her eyes from the Vulcan, “get out.”

She only outranked one of them, but neither cared to disobey the forceful demand.

~

Tucker was so lost misery that he didn’t notice he was no longer alone in Phlox’ office until two hands took his. “Trip?” He looked up to find Cole kneeling in front him, Soval a pace behind her. “What’s happening? How’s T’Pol?”

“Phlox had to sedate her.” It was hard to speak around the ache in his throat, and Cole squeezed his hands tightly.

“Hold on, Trip. It’ll be okay.”

“How can it be?” he asked despairingly. “Losing Lorien’ll break T’Pol’s heart.”

“But you’ll still have each other, and Travis says the spatial anomalies are dissipating. We might finally have a future again. It’s not all bad, Trip.”

He just grimaced, unable to think beyond the present, and Soval said quietly, “Be grateful that T’Pol is not in danger. If she had died, you would have been alone. You may accept my word, Charles, that such an existence is not pleasant.”

Tucker glanced up, met the Vulcan’s eyes, and looked away hurriedly. Even in his present state of shock, it was disconcerting to receive sympathy and understanding from Soval.

Cole grinned, easily identifying his unease, and squeezed his hands again. “Don’t mind Soval. He’ll go back to being a mean old Vulcan soon enough.”

He tried to return her smile, but the attempt died as Phlox appeared in the entrance. “Captain Tucker.” The Denobulan’s expression was carefully neutral. “T’Pol’s conscious.”

Tucker very nearly knocked Cole flying in leaving the room, to skid to a halt by the biobed, where T’Pol was curled on her side so that she could see what was resting on a trolley beside her. The face she lifted to his as he gripped her hand was luminous with joy; later he would swear that there had even been a smile hovering around her mouth. “Charles, he’s alive. Lorien’s alive.”

He gulped, looking across to Phlox, in terror that T’Pol had convinced herself of the impossible, but the doctor’s smile was instantly reassuring. “He certainly is alive, and he’s going to stay that way. He’ll have to remain in the incubator for a few weeks, but I’m positive that he’ll continue to develop normally.”

Tucker knew that he was crying, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He simply hitched himself onto the biobed behind T’Pol and pulled her securely against him, so that they could watch their miracle baby together.

Unobserved by the new parents or by the equally proud doctor, Cole glanced up into Soval’s face and smiled fondly. “You need to meditate.”

~

They were all still inspecting Enterprise’s newest crew member when two more visitors arrived. Tucker grimaced in rueful acceptance of the fact that he had neglected his duty for the last couple of hours, and released T’Pol to come to his feet. “Sorry.”

The apology was directed at Mayweather, who grinned at his friend. “Don’t mention it, captain. I heard you were busy down here.” He straightened his expression to give a formal report. “A few ships came after us, but we managed to stay ahead of them until Degra’s fleet put in an appearance. He was able to persuade them to turn back, although it seems Malom is taking the credit – and the leadership of the Reptiles. Then Shran joined the party.” Unnecessarily he indicated the Andorian who had entered with him. “He demanded talk to you, captain.”

“How sweet!” The other visitor had drifted to the incubator where Lorien was peacefully sleeping through his first experience of being the centre of attention. “But the ears are a mistake.” Shran glowered at Soval, who glowered back. “The grandson you mentioned?” The Vulcan inclined his head a fraction. “Then that makes you,” Shran turned his head to regard T’Pol regretfully, “his daughter. Strange, you suddenly appear much less attractive.” She raised an indifferent eyebrow, and the Andorian turned back to Soval. “You lied to me!”

The ambassador took a moment to consider his answer. “I think not.”

“You did!” Shran leant closer. “You told me your family were held hostage. Daughter,” he sighed at T’Pol, “I’ll accept the possibility. Grandson,” he shrugged, “I’ll admit there’s a child. But wife? I see none.”

Soval eyed him with disfavour for a moment, then tilted an eyebrow at Cole, who was hovering protectively at his side. “Her name is Amanda: she who is my wife.”

She smiled brightly at the Andorian. “Hi.”

“You …” Shran had to stop and try again. “You married him?”

“That’s right.”

“A Vulcan? You married a Vulcan?”

“Yup.”

“You married … Soval?”

She slipped her arm through the Vulcan’s and smiled sweetly up at him. “Yeah.”

Shran’s disgust wasn’t alleviated by the fact that Soval immediately frowned repressively at Cole and freed himself. “Your behaviour is inappropriate.”

“I hate to hurry you, Shran,” Tucker decided that he’d let the trio play long enough, “but T’Pol needs to rest and I don’t plan on leaving here any time soon. What did you want?”

The Andorian was still watching Soval and Cole, who had again taken the Vulcan’s arm, forcing him to adopt a long-suffering expression. “I wish to lodge a complaint - against him.”

Tucker sighed, giving Cole the chance to say innocently, “Why would you do that, Colonel Shran?”

He scowled at her. “He assaulted me.”

“Oh, Soval, that wasn’t nice.”

A little to one side, Tucker saw Cole’s quick wink, and also saw the Vulcan close his eyes. Tucker was inclined to agree: Amanda was about to be outrageous. He was interested to note that Soval obviously knew he couldn’t stop her, any more than her captain could have done.

Cole turned her full battery of charm directly onto the unsuspecting Andorian. “I’m sure Soval wouldn’t really have hurt you. Not at his age.” She smiled up at the Vulcan, who looked back through slitted eyes. “Why don’t you apologise, darling, and then we can all be friends again.”

Vulcan and Andorian eyed each other for a moment, then Shran shrugged and turned away. “I drop the charges.” He waved one hand somewhat randomly behind him, on his way to the door. “You have your own punishment, Soval. I’ve known women like her. They ruin your life.”

Mayweather followed Shran from the room, grinning, and Tucker shook his head and returned to the important business of admiring his son.

~

There were a few loose ends to tie up, but that was child’s play given the events of the last four and a half years. The gratitude of the Xindi for the destruction of the crippling gravimetric anomalies that had been systematically engulfing their homes was sufficient to make Shran decide that his motives for cooperating had been entirely altruistic. Their gratitude was also sufficient to make them promise to help clear the Alpha Quadrant of the Reptiles who had been acting without Dolum’s authority, and to promise eternal friendship with Andorians, Vulcans and Humans. Tucker didn’t like the ordering of that one, but felt it churlish to object, particularly when smiling acceptance meant that Enterprise could start for normal space a few hours earlier. There was still plenty to do back there, and he was anxious to start the process of building a new future for Humanity.

But there was still one last problem to be dealt with. That there was a problem became evident before they were even back to the thermobaric clouds, when Tucker called Soval urgently to Sickbay. The Vulcan arrived promptly, Cole at his heels – rumour confidently reported that she hadn’t been seen anywhere else for the last week – to find T’Pol sobbing in the captain’s arms, while Phlox looked on with concern.

“Lorien?” It was the obvious question, but the Denobulan shook his head, although Cole still detoured to the incubator, to inspect the tiny infant, who was progressing nicely despite his early removal from his mother’s womb.

“T’Pol’s neural pathways are dangerously stimulated.” Phlox provided the explanation when Tucker did not. “The result of the hormonal changes and stress of the last few weeks. I’ve give her a neural suppressor, but,” he hesitated, looking regretfully over at Tucker, who had followed the conversation without releasing his tight hold on T’Pol, “with little effect. I’m afraid that this could be a long-term problem. The neural damage due to Pa’nar Syndrome isn’t going to get any better.”

Tucker looked hopefully at Soval. “Could you help her meditate? It really helped before.”

The Vulcan hesitated, then nodded. “Of course.”

“No!” Cole ignored Soval’s repressive frown as she returned to his side. “You’ve been doing that all week. It just gives you a headache.” He grimaced faintly and she continued without giving anyone else time to speak. “Trip and T’Pol need to bond.” Soval frowned still more fiercely to the public mention of a private topic, and she glared back. “Someone had to say it!”

T’Pol turned a tearful face onto her. “We cannot! It’s not the right time.”

“Can’t you induce it, or something?”

“No.” Soval’s answer was severe, and T’Pol nodded in agreement, wiping at her wet cheeks.

“The V’tosh Ka’tur have tried to induce pon farr chemically. They failed.”

“T’Pol,” Phlox’ voice spoke slowly, “do you recall a certain microbe that infected you some years ago?”

She stared back, hope appearing on her face. “But it was harmful to Humans.”

“It was. But I developed an antidote. Not until some time later, but I don’t like to be caught out twice.” The Denobulan studied T’Pol’s pale, too-emotional face. “Do you wish to make the attempt?”

She looked hopefully up at Tucker, who just looked blank, and Cole intervened again. “Just say ‘yes’, Trip. T’Pol can explain later. Trust me, it’ll be fun.”

“If it’ll help …” He let the sentence drift off, and Phlox wasted no time, hurrying back from a storage locker with a couple of cylinder in on hand.

“Then let’s get down to de-con. And don’t worry about Lorien. I’ll take good care of him while you’re, eh, indisposed.”

He hustled them out, Tucker still looking bemused, and Cole hugged Soval’s arm to her side as she said thoughtfully, “D’you think that microbe works on all Vulcans.”

He detached himself firmly, scowling at her. “If you believe that I am neglecting you, Amanda, you have only to say.”

“Really?” She took his arm back. “I feel terribly neglected, Soval.”

~

Between the need to keep alert, the stress of new parenthood and exploring what it meant to be bonded to T’Pol, Tucker didn’t have much opportunity to think about the future. That T’Pol had been giving the matter a good deal of thought, however, became clear when she instructed him to invite Soval and Cole to dinner in the captain’s dining room, the day after they had passed back through the thermobaric clouds.

Tucker had been too busy with his own concerns to give the other couple much thought, but Cole looked so obviously happy when she walked in that he had to laugh as he took his seat, and she gave him a quizzical look. “What?”

“Nothing.” He grinned and impulsively reached a hand out to her. “Did I ever remember to congratulate you two?”

“Not in so many words.” She squeezed his hand. “But you’d better watch it, Trip. Remember how jealous Vulcans can be?”

Tucker started to grin, then inadvertently caught Soval’s hard stare and realised that Cole hadn’t been joking. Then he felt a jolt through his bond with T’Pol, and quickly released the other woman’s hand. The effects of the bonding between himself and T’Pol, both short term and in general, had been gratifying in the extreme. T’Pol was calm, happy and rational, and there were some very interesting side effects of being able to sense the emotional and physical status of one’s partner.

T’Pol ignored his lapse with another woman – even if that woman was his step-mother-in-law – to ask Soval politely, “What will you do, father, now that your diplomatic career is over?”

“I thought to make a study of encryption algorithms,” he replied calmly, and filled up his water glass, while Tucker and Cole stared at him.

“Did I miss something here?” the captain asked eventually, and T’Pol gave the explanation when Soval did not.

“The spouses of senior diplomats are expected to play an active role in their partner’s assignments. By marrying a non-Vulcan, my father has debarred himself from any further diplomatic postings.”

“That’s crap!” Tucker was outraged at the unfairness. “Why the hell should it make any difference to Soval’s ability to make himself unpleasant to people?”

“Is that true?” Cole addressed her husband directly, ignoring Tucker’s outburst. “I’ve wrecked your career?”

“Hardly.” Soval sounded unconcerned. “The choice was mine. And,” he added dryly, “my long association with Humans had already made my future uncertain.”

“I’ll divorce you.” Her voice was determined, but she couldn’t quite keep the unhappiness from her face. “We could still …”

“Kindly refrain from illogical suggestions, Amanda.”

“But …”

“Enough!” He spoke sharply, but, a second later, stretched out a hand to cover hers for a moment. “It’s not important.”

T’Pol had evidently made a list of questions to be asked, because, having brought one issue into the open, she turned immediately on Tucker. “Have you considered where we will live?”

He looked back doubtfully, obviously considering it a trick question. “On Enterprise?”

“But you do not believe that a star ship is a suitable place to raise a child.”

“I said I didn’t mean that.”

“However I agree, at least in part. A child should have the opportunity to experience life on a planet.”

“Okay,” he drawled slowly. “So we could live on whatever planet the Free Humans have selected for the re-location of the colony.”

T’Pol lifted her chin, having got him to exactly the place she wanted him, “Have you considered that there is one planet that already contains more Humans than any other in the universe?”

His mind went blank, and it was Cole who laughed suddenly. “In the Delphic Expanse! That planet where they were still using projectile weapons. The Humans who were kidnapped two hundred and fifty years ago.” She grinned at T’Pol. “You’re brilliant.”

“Merely thorough,” the Vulcan woman said modestly, and returned to her briefing. “It would be only logical for the Free Humans to relocate to that planet, where there is already a substantial Human population. It is even possible,” and she turned her head to study her father, “that the High Council would consider it advisable to assign an ambassador to such a colony – particularly if the ambassador already had experience in dealing with Humans. Then Lorien could spend time with his grandfather and Amanda.”

Tucker grinned and reached for T’Pol’s hand. “Now that sounds like a plan I could learn to live with.”

“Me too!” Cole bounced to her feet, disappearing from the room for a moment to reappear with a bottle in her hand. “I thought we might need a drink before the night was out.” She splashed a small quantity of the liquid into three glasses, ostentatiously omitting Tucker from the round, and raised her glass. “To us.”

He grinned back and raised his own glass of orange juice. “How about to family? Soval?”

The Vulcan was eyeing the glass Cole had given him distastefully. “What is this?”

“Andorian ale. I like it.”

“I don’t drink.” He frowned at her. “And I will certainly not drink ‘to us’ in a beverage supplied by Shran.”

“Oh, go on!” Her smile was beguiling. “Please?”

Both eyebrows descended in resignation and she grinned in triumph and lifted her glass again. “To family! May we all live long and prosper.”

Tucker just managed not to choke with laughter on his drink, then directed a stern look at his father-in-law. “Tell me, Soval, d’you know what hen-pecked means?”

~

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