Forsaken - Pt 3

Forsaken

By stub

RATING: R - just to be safe
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these people. Paramount does.

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Part III

"When does your transport leave?" Malcolm asked.

He had stopped by my apartment before the big event. Starfleet and Earth's governing body wanted a big celebration in honor of Enterprise and her crew for saving the planet.

"Tomorrow morning," I said. I was packing my bag. I couldn't get out of here soon enough.

"I thought for sure you'd have hopped the first ship to Vulcan as soon as we got back," replied Malcolm. He was sitting in the chair in the corner. He tugged at the tight neck of his dress uniform.

"Yeah, well I would have. Admiral Forrest ordered me to attend this thing tonight," I said with disgust.

"How long are you staying?"

"As long as it takes," I said. "Or until they get pissed off enough to kick me off their planet."

"Have you spoken to the captain?"

I sighed and paused my packing. I glanced up at Malcolm. He looked so worried.

"Not since we docked. He's changed, Malcolm."

He nodded and said quietly, "I think maybe we all have, Trip."

I thought about that for a moment. He had a point. Maybe I had been a little hard on the captain. He was doing what was best for the mission, for the planet. I needed to get my ass to Vulcan and seek the closure of T'Pol's death, just like Phlox had ordered a week ago. I wanted to visit her gravesite, or whatever they had on Vulcan for the dead. I needed to see it with my own two eyes, to tell her goodbye. Maybe then I could think about forgiving Archer.

But I didn't want to talk about that. Changing the subject I asked, "When do you leave?"

"She won't be ready for a few weeks," said Malcolm. He stood and tried to stretch. He grunted in frustration and tugged at his collar again. "Why do they insist on making these bloody things so unbearable?"

I smiled. "Because it looks good. Suffer the pain of beauty, Malcolm."

Malcolm uttered more curses and wandered about my room. He kept glancing at me, his mouth opening and then closing without a word.

"Say it, Malcolm," I said. I knew he wanted to talk about it.

"Why'd you say no?" he asked bluntly. "I can't believe you'd turn down the Chief Engineer position on the NX-02. It's supposed to be far superior."

I sighed and sat down on my bed. "It's not about that. I can be just as content teaching warp theory or working on the new warp projects at Starfleet."

My friend raised an eyebrow at me in disbelief. His voice soft, he asked, "Is this still about T'Pol?"

I fiddled with one of the buttons on my uniform. How was I supposed to explain this to someone who lived and breathed the military, a life of regimented structure? Sometimes speaking from the heart wasn't such an easy thing with Lieutenant Malcolm Reed.

"I just…I just can't imagine going back out there without her, Malcolm," I said quietly. "She's always been there with us. She was just as much a part of that crew as the rest of us." I paused for a moment and looked at him. "Truth is, I don't want to do it without her."

Malcolm seemed to turn that over in his head. He nodded, then asked with a hint of trepidation, "That and you don't want to serve under Captain Archer again?"

I lifted my shoulder in a half shrug. One thing at a time. "Maybe."

We sat in silence for a few moments.

"You know, Trip," Malcolm started, "if I were a better friend, I'd tell you snap the hell out of it."

"And I'd tell you to go take a flying leap out an airlock," I replied with a smile.

He returned it with a nod. "I suppose it's about that time, then."

"I suppose," I agreed and got up. I was not looking forward to this ball or gala or whatever Starfleet had in mind. I just wanted to get on that transport to Vulcan.

* * *

When Malcolm and I arrived at the auditorium, there were photographers and paparazzi everywhere. There was a long, red carpet from the valet to the staging area. It was like an old fashioned movie premiere. Except that the crew of Enterprise weren't all happy smiles. Most of them, I noticed, looked terrified. We weren't celebrities and none of us knew exactly what to do. We had a briefing a few days ago, but that didn't prepare us for the onslaught we received. This was to be a worldwide televised event and we were to be on our best behavior.

I heard shouts of "Commander Tucker! Over here!" and "Trip! A picture!" Everybody wanted my attention at once. I heard my name in various forms coming from all directions. The flashbulbs exploded one after another continuously for several minutes. One of the security people grabbed me by the elbow and led me down the carpet. I groped around blindly for Malcolm. I couldn't see anything but green and white residual flashbulbs burned into my retinas.

We were led inside a huge auditorium with tables and chairs set up. There were hundreds of people already sitting down. A stage with a podium was set up along with a huge Starfleet banner behind it. I groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long evening. The room erupted with applause as the Enterprise crew made our way to the only empty tables left near the stage. More flashbulbs went off in all directions. There was some whooping from somewhere in the crowd, not quite drowned out by the uplifting and ceremonious music blaring on around us.

The senior officers were led to a table in the middle. It was decorated with white linen cloth, flowers all over, some kind of Starfleet-emblazoned centerpiece. Captain Archer sat at the head of the table; I was to his right (where T'Pol should have been, I thought) and Malcolm to my right. Hoshi, Travis and Doctor Phlox rounded out the Senior Staff table. I sat staring at all the people out there. They seemed to be beaming back at me. It made my heart swell, just a little. I suddenly didn't feel quite as much like the Grinch. I think I might have even smiled a bit. I looked around the staff tables. Everyone seemed to be over the initial shock of a hero's welcome and looked to be relaxed in their seats.

I glanced over at Malcolm. He was looking around the room too, the biggest grin I've ever seen spread across his face. His eyes held a sense of wonder that was creeping into my bones as well. All this for us, I thought. We saved the world.

As I relaxed into the evening, I began to enjoy myself. The ceremony wasn't as dull as I feared. Speakers from Starfleet, the Government and even celebrities popped in to say a few words. I found myself listening intently to everything, laughing with everyone, sharing in the solemn moments of what we'd done and how we did it. It was all going along just fine until they had a memorial of sorts for all the hands lost on this mission. I felt my heart grow heavy again; felt that familiar sinking feeling in my gut that I'd been living with for six weeks.

Family members of the deceased walked up as their names were called to accept a plaque in honor of the crewmember. Flashbulbs exploded again. I heard tearful sobs out among the crowd, some sniffles at nearby tables. There were so many names, so many of my friends gone. My hands twisted and wrung the linen napkin in my lap. I suddenly just wanted this night to be over.

And then I heard her name. My head snapped up and I saw her walking up the aisle to the podium. A petite Vulcan dressed in formal robes strode purposefully towards the stage.

T'Pol!

The air left my lungs in a rush. I began to stand when I felt a strong hand grip my arm. I looked down at Malcolm. I must have said her name aloud because he was tugging at me to sit back down.

"It's not her, Trip!" he hissed.

I yanked my arm free and returned my gaze to the Vulcan. Malcolm was right. In fact, it wasn't even a female Vulcan. It was a young male with T'Pol's smooth skin and dark eyes. I sank heavily back into my seat. The young man cast a glance at the senior staff table as he walked up to accept the plaque in honor of T'Pol's sacrifice. God he looked just like her. Was it a younger brother? I didn't know she had any siblings. Perhaps a cousin? Some other extended family member?

Her son?

I felt my stomach lurch at the thought. No, she was never even married. It can't be a child of hers. Could it?

It hit me hard then that there was so much I didn't know about T'Pol. All the things I would never get the chance to know now. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and willed this night to end.

TBC~

Author's Note: Flash bulbs? What, stub, are you nuts?? Think about it. How long have cameras been around for? In this age of technology we still need to light up that one moment frozen in time, right? I have yet to see any kind of advancement in the photography/videography (is that a word? I'm tired) industry to eliminate the flash and/or extra lighting necessary. Suspend your disbelief, people. Humor me.

Part 4 CONCLUSION

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Poor Trip, talk about an ordeal, and that paragraph at the end. Could it be T'Pol and *Trip's* son? Just holding my breath waiting for more... Ali D :~)

I refuse to believe T'Pol is dead! I doubt it would be Trip's son if it were T'Pol's son... he must be family but I don't think it's a son. I refuse to believe that too!

oh... just the first 1/2 the conversation between mal and trip... had me going... then *SOB* the ending.

bulbs absolutely... flash lighting a must no i don't think we will ever stop having alternate lighting sources...

i'm listening to Tracy Lawerence's Strong CD... go listen to his Paint Me A Birmingham... its Trip and T'Pol... *Sniff* go listen great voice, great song, a great accompianament (sp?) to this great great story please hurry and post more soon this is water torture waiting on it.

LOL, stub! I didn't mean "are you nuts" when I asked about the lightbulbs! I was curious if this form of artificial lighting hadn't improved in 150 years. Yes, it was a detail which caught my eye when I beta-d this and made me wonder about cameras and their future.

But the ending has me all agog! Can't wait for more.

There is just no way T'Pol can be dead! I'm hoping that her *death* is some sort of diabolical charade orchestrated by Soval. Can't wait for your next post.

There's nothing wrong with having cameras with flashes, stub! It seems entirely reasonable to me!

myst! That wasn't a knock against you! Nor my other beta who pointed out the very same thing. I just didn't want to get 20 reviews all saying cameras will outgrow the flash someday. (I don't think they will.)

She can't be dead!! No...Please...say it ain't so... Hurry with the next chapter, I look forward to seeing what happens. Thank you for writing this.

Great story, but I take exception to the flashbulb thing. Flashbulbs and cubes are long gone. Most cameras use a xenon flash tube, instead of an exploding bulb filled with flash powder. The newest pro digital cameras can film in very low light and the consumer models are catching up quickly. By 2010, cameras won't have flashes at all. Ambient light will be fine.

See...you can write decent, non smutty fan fiction. ;) Keep up the good work.
Q