The Warp 7 Project: The Enterprise Trials: Part 5

The Warp 7 Project: the Enterprise Trials

By: TLR

Rated PG
Disclaimer: Enterprise is the property of UPN and Paramount Pictures, who I hope get coal in their stockings again this year for dumping such a great series. Bah humbug. …… T

Summary: This story picks up at the end of part 4. I backed it up a bit to get you a running start. I apologize again for the long wait, but the class I was in got too overwhelming with work to afford me time to do anything other than work, study and sleep. You should see the housework I have to catch up on, not to mention the Christmas shopping I haven’t even started yet. I also managed to get the cold everyone is getting not once, not twice, but three times. Tell me how fun is that.

Anyway, T’Pol has determined the only way to prove or disprove Johnson’s innocence was to mind meld with him. He accepts her suggestion, even welcomes the chance to prove he wasn’t the one who sabotaged the Warp 7 prototype or tried to murder Trip’s family. We pick it up just as the mind meld is starting. Enjoy.

December 1, 2006

Part 5 finale

"My mind to your mind….. My thoughts to your thoughts." T'Pol spoke the ancient words that were now a more accepted part of her people's heritage. "Our minds our joined, our thoughts are one." T'Pol held firm to the connection points as a rather exhausted Lieutenant Johnson lay out on a couch like surface in an adjacent office. Behind them stood Soval, Jon, Trip and Malcolm, all watching with interest at what would come out of this human's mind. The data they'd gathered from their scans had all but convicted him of the sabotage, and his access to the Tucker's home gave him the opportunity to plant the poisonous seeds that almost took the life of James just days before. Now he was actually swearing he was the victim in all this, a victim of wrongful persecution.

Both participants in this meld, were silent a long moment, their eyes closed and motion down to a minimum. Even their breathing became entwined adding to the sinc with which their minds had become one. The background stood pensive awaiting the information that would explain why this man thought he was innocent.

"We are at our station…..You are at your station" T'Pol corrected herself remembering that to get lost in a mind meld was a dangerous thing. "There is no one around and you are changing the codes to the engine backup protocols. I see your hands typing in the equations for self destruction automatic sequencing." T'Pol was really cooking this guy's goose and Trip's temperature went up another notch.

"So that's how he did it…." The engineer whispered to his mates, knowing that rigging the self destruct mechanism into the start up routine would have caused exactly what happened in that cockpit. Jon turned to him realizing too that this was what the cause was. They returned their attention back to the meld.

"Now you are altering the alarm mechanism……I see you programming in a faulty relay test alarm…." T'Pol took a slow breath and pushed deeper into the man's mind to get all the details.

"You have set it to go off just after reaching orbit altitude….. a 20 second delay in fact."

"Damn that was the first alarm we heard….The one that kept us busy so we didn't notice the building overload." Now it was Archer's turn to relive the event. He whispered it for the benefit of his security officer who wasn't privy to all the details of the flight.

"This guy is caught dead to rights." Reed whispered back a bit of satisfaction in his voice that was meant for both his friends to share in.

"You did not wish to do this….. Did not remember doing this afterward." T'Pol's words drew the attention of all in the room. "You tried to stop yourself…..Struggled with the thought of changing things back but couldn't" She continued with a noted tortured echo to her voice.

"What, a saboteur with a conscience?" Trip quipped and saw Soval's face turn very worried.

"We are not alone." T'Pol slipped back into the depths of his mind loosing her own sense of self in the intensity this meld had taken. "There is another."

"He was working with an accomplice?" Now Reed and Jon were getting worried that there might be another saboteur on the loose.

"He is with us….. Controlling us….. We try to fight him but he is too strong….." T'Pol's voice was reflecting the degree of stress that the young man was going through. "Show me his face." She commanded trying to get back a bit of her own self.

"He is too powerful…. He hides in the shadows………" The quiver in her voice returned denoting the duel personalities she was relaying.

"Look into his face…." T'Pol ordered through gritted teeth, pressing her fingers deeper into the human's skull. Johnson's face twisted showing that he was not giving up the information willingly. As Tolaris had done to T'Pol, it was now she that was raping this man's mind to get to the truth of the matter.

A low moaning sound came from the Lieutenant, followed by a few lowly uttered "no's" and "stops". Finally he relented turning to face the stranger who was in his mind pulling the strings. Upon first glance, those dark eyes frightened T'Pol as they peered at her through the darkness. She was after all in Johnson's head experiencing what he did. But it was what Johnson sensed when he did as she ordered that made T'Pol jump back and break their connection. She stood a few inches back from the male as he lay there unconscious from the procedure and began to shake with the intensity of what he had been put through. Trip came up and took hold of his mate by her shoulders as the rest moved round to see what she had discovered. Speechless, T'Pol stared out into the far point of the room trying to decipher what this new knowledge meant to herself, her family and her people. After a respectable amount of time, a mere minute or so, Archer wasn't willing to wait any longer.

"Well?" He ordered as if he was still her commanding officer onboard the starship.

"Romulan" was all T'Pol could utter as she moved through the room and left the group behind. She went to the nearest chair and sat down, looking to the flickering lights of the console panel to help her ease the fears she had encroaching on her mind.

Trip ran to her side followed closely by the Captain and Malcolm. “Did you see who it was?” her mate asked with an equally desperate need to his tone. The group watched as a stunned T’Pol continued to gather herself. It would be several long seconds before she could find the strength to continue.

“No…. I could not see the face.” Her voice was raspy, holding the horror of her discovery deep within it. "Only the glow of a pair of eyes peering back at me in anger from the darkness."

“Then how do you know it was Romulan?” Archer asked just as wanting to get to the bottom of this plot.

“It was the sense I got from the hooded intruder. It was the same sense I got when I tried to contact V’Los’ mind at the tribunal. Hatred mixed in with incredible intelligence, covered by a cloak of some kind…. It was as if the stranger were controlling the output he gave off so as to mask his trail even further.” The look on the council woman’s face was that of extreme puzzlement. As far as she knew, Romulans hadn’t developed near the empathic abilities that her people had. It was true they could mind meld, but only crudely. As for any other empathic skills, their species was severely lacking in that area. All their studies had confirmed what T’Pol already knew. That the threat to Vulcan from this distant relation was alive and well, and now not as far off as one would think.

“Johnson had no intention of sabotaging the project. He is free to go.” T’Pol stated and saw the security guards with her turn to leave.

“What?” Trip added to Malcolm’s concerned demeanor. “You just gonna let that mad man go. What if he isn’t finished sabotaging the project? Even if he was made to do it, at the very least he shouldn’t be allowed to stay on Vulcan. Ship him home, now. Let them deal with him.”

“That is precisely not what we should do. We need him to help us identify the real threat. He should be monitored, but by long distance. There is no doubt he will be approached again by his attacker once the story of his mind meld gets out.” T’Pol rose to leave and was stopped by her husband standing in her path.

“You think that crazy son of a bitch is gonna try to re-mind meld with him again after he had been caught. That would be the last place I would go if I were in danger of being discovered.” Archer nodded in silent agreement with his friend at his reasoning.

“Not if he fears being caught through Vulcan empathic means. I will let it slip that we are calling in an elder to perform the kan'sorn. It is a much more precise mind meld that can see past the barriers he has established. Knowing this, the perpetrator will naturally want to erase Johnson’s mind of everything, not just cover it up. He may even try to kill Johnson to keep his secret safe.” Suddenly T’Pol’s plan was all too clear. She was using poor Johnson for bait against a killer that would most probably stop at nothing to keep his identity a mystery.

“You really think this Romulan will try to kill the Lieutenant?” Malcolm asked sensing a need for beefed up security.

“It is indeed a possibility. Depending on the training this spy has attained, if he can’t erase Johnson’s memory, he will be forced to erase Johnson himself before the procedure can be performed.” She saw the worry in his eyes and decided to give him the go ahead to improve the Lt’s chances. “Provide him with 24 hr surveillance. He is to be in sight at all times.”

“Aye…. I will start round the clock security details immediately.” Reed was quick to step to it. He heard her warning as he reached the chamber door.

“Be sure that he appears alone… We want the spy to think he can get to him without any difficulty.” To this Malcolm just nodded and with that he left through the opening hatch.

“What about our home… Johnson almost killed my brother… What if Lizzie or Lorian had gotten into the poisonous thorns?” Trip wasn’t happy with letting this man off the hook so quickly.

“The Lt had nothing to do with the seeding of our vegetation with the poisonous plant. He was not the one who carried out that plan. Perhaps the spy was able to get access some other way. Maybe even melding with another worker to do that part of his plan.” T’Pol was trying to fathom the extent of this alien’s abilities while her husband was just trying to learn to trust the young engineer again. Archer returned the pair’s worried look as he realized that regardless the plan, this was not a safe place anymore for his favorite god children to be.

T'Pol stood beneath the hot spray of water reexamining the confusion that was this day's events. The feel of the alien's mind and those eyes were burned into her memory. A sharp chill worked up her spine as she began to speculate on what else could have happened, had no one caught the poisoning in time. Her mate was right, it could have been their children, and perhaps they wouldn't have been there. The thought of those consequences sent another chill through the petite young woman. Her worries translated easily through their bond and began weighing on her mate's mind. He eased into the bathroom and stuck a warm hand upon her shoulder.

The feel of his closeness soothed her as it had always done in times of great stress. T'Pol closed her eyes and began relaxing the troubled thoughts that were plaguing both their minds right now. It was only a matter of seconds before the hand turned into a warm embrace, as feeling her fear, Trip stripped down and came to join her.

"You okay?" he whispered into the saturated locks of long brown hair that graced her shoulders.

"I am better now." She returned nodding softly.

"It will be okay… We'll get this guy…I promise. You, Lizzie and Lorian will be just fine." Trip knew that his commitment to them was far more important than even his own life.

"Even if we get this one, the Romulan threat is still upon us. I had hoped by increasing our surveillance, we could make this threat more distant, but I am now seeing that once here, it is with us always." T'Pol snuggled closer into his chest, feeling the beat of his heart brushing through the skin against her cheek.

"This one spy doesn't mean that there is going to be an invasion… They know how powerful Vulcans are… they would be insane to try and mount an invasion." He tried to reassure, but his mate knew exactly what the true threat was.

"Trip, that is why they tried to take over our culture. To go against us would be suicide… The losses would be great on both sides… But to convert us…..Subterfuge from within is a more powerful weapon." She picked up her head and looked directly into his eyes. "Look how long it took us to recognize their presence and what cost it took to finally see what they had done."

Trip realized that even before the Vulcan's had made contact with Earth, Romulan spies were implanting themselves within this society, changing their beliefs and practices. After V'Los' capture and the subsequent round up of the rest of his cohorts, major changes had come to this planet, making their new policies a far cry from the very restrictive ones of the High Command. He knew if his wife feared for their family's safety, she had good reason too, and his own fears began to rise. Sensing this T'Pol pulled back into him, using her arms to stroke the gentle flow of warm water that ran down the line of his spine. They spent a long several moments just enjoying their closeness, each trying to soothe the other's fears.

After exiting the shower, both parents dried and dressed in their nighttime wear. Stopping in one more time to check on their children, Trip followed T'Pol back down the hall to their room. His body was more relaxed, but his mind still ran with thousands of questions. He couldn't keep his silence any longer.

"Why attack our family if the Romulans are going after Vulcan?"

"Because of Federation." T'Pol murmured absently as she set up her candles for a short meditation session.

"Federation?" Trip asked with a puzzled look upon his face. He came up to face her, putting a hand out to stop her forward movement. She halted, meeting his question with a calm gaze.

"As I stated…. To go to war with Vulcan would be suicide for any species, even Romulus, however to go to war with a federation of species would be even more impossible." T'Pol saw the look of recognition come upon her mate's face.

"Surak knew that in teaching our people to control their warlike ways, he would also make them look more vulnerable to other species bound for conquest. The Klingons, for example were involved in many confrontations with our people before they would listen to any talk of peace." She paused and tried to get her husband to understand. "We had to prove our worthiness as warriors before they could respect our need for negotiation. Sometimes that is all a species like them understand."

Trip nodded remembering the way T'Pol covered for Archer during the many encounters the Enterprise had with Klingon battle cruisers. "So they want to split up our alliance." He stated making it clear he understood the significance of the problem. His mate nodded and went back to lighting the candles.

"Why would they have a human sabotage an Earth project?" Once more the engineer questioned the Romulan's tactics.

"Because it isn't an Earth project." T'Pol answered coolly lighting a particularly large candle before her cushions.

"What?"

"Star Fleet didn't want the Warp 7 plant to be on Vulcan. They wanted it near Jupiter station, but I convinced them it would be to their benefit to allow the Vulcans to oversee the project. I explained to them that it would expand their repair capabilities out further in this part of the galaxy." T'Pol seated her self then offered the opposing cushion for her mate.

"Even that didn't convince them. There was fear that the Vulcans would once more hold back vital information and the project may be delayed indefinitely. I had to personally oversee the project, that is, after I agreed to take the position as head of the High Council."

That little bit of information truly surprised her husband, who had to this point thought he was working for Star Fleet. "So I am working for the Vulcan High Council?" He asked a bit unsure of himself.

"No… You are working for a totally different entity… A collaboration that both Star Fleet and the High Council hope will attract other species to come and join in our peaceful ways. You are working for the United Federation of Planets." Again this drew a shocked look from him.

"It was a dream of my ancestor those many hundreds of years ago, and a goal of your people's government since they launched their first deep space mission, namely Enterprise. You, yourself helped to start this group, as did I and everyone who served aboard her. It only seemed logical you continue your service in a way that would help to solidify this new relationship between our two peoples." Her voice was calm, but beneath it Trip could feel her soothing attempts at helping him to cope with the surprise.

"So if a human sabotages the program it would bring about distrust and would halt the mission of this organization." He murmured as his gaze fell upon the flickering candle light.

"Yes, or at very least, the delays these failures would cause, might reignite Earth's fears that we were trying to stall their getting Warp 7 technology." T'Pol added seamlessly. Like a light bulb, the clearness of his realization came quickly to him. Distrust was the tool the Romulans hoped to use to get a strong hold into the world of the Vulcans. It was the very thing that Humans and Vulcans couldn't afford to let happen.

"Then we need to get this matter solved and fast." Trip added tilting his head side to side trying to work the kink from his neck before preparing to enter a meditative state.

"Exactly my point." T'Pol settled in, her hands folded in her lap, and her breathing starting to grow long and deep.

*****

The next two days went on without a hitch. Mr. Reed's security protocols now made everyone a suspect. Of most concern was Skieck, who had been seen working very closely with the young Lieutenant. Johnson, himself wasn't sure how he felt about anyone, and seemed to jump out of his skin every time he was approached. To the young man, being accused of such treason one minute then being simply set free to return to work the next was quite worrisome. Scarier still was what he remembered from the rather brutal interrogation methods of the councilwoman. The thought of another's mind trying to control him was too much for the young lieutenant to handle.

The closed circuit scanner system Malcolm programmed covered every inch of the plant and the clarity it afforded him could see even the most minute changes in environment around the subject. Several times now, the Enterprise's chief of security hauled in anyone caught talking to Johnson, questioning them as if they were simply conducting routine sweeps. Regardless of the explanation, the young Brit didn't take anything the workers said at face value.

With all the changes in security and the added frustrations these spontaneous interrogations brought, the work on the second prototype continued. In barely two days time another test was becoming a possibility. Everyone was on edge, even the Captain, who had immersed himself in the scans from Malcolm's security protocol.

He was in the observation room, just outside the scanner area when he was taken off guard by a familiar feminine voice. It was Acellia. The young woman came strolling up to the Captain and paused only a moment before offering her assistance.

"Captain Archer…. I was wondering if you'd like to take a look at those port fusion injectors again. I believe the specs you showed me yesterday had a calculated error in the flow ratio variance." She stood there waiting, her long dark hair and deep brown eyes drawing Jon's attention more than her words. He remained silent enjoying the pull of her allure.

"Captain?" She interrupted his lapse in attention, drawing him back to the here and now.

"An error you say?" Jon tried to cover his obvious attraction to the woman.

"Yes, in the port fusion injector. There is an error of 0.03microns that could possibly lead to injector malfunction. I believe the proper diameter should be 14.06 microns, not 14.03. The thinning of the injector may cause premature clogging which could lead to complete injector shut down at a crucial moment when traveling at Warp 7. As you know the flow rate becomes more critical the higher the warp rate you are traveling." Her lecture trailed off as she sensed Jon's full attention was not on the subject once more. When she halted, the captain tried to cover by mimicking back a little of her words.

"You were saying the diameter needed is larger to tolerate the increased flow required for higher warp travel?" Warp was a theory he'd grown up with, and this concept was not a new one. His father, Henry Archer long taught Jon the importance of injector flow to warp speed, but debating the subject with this woman would greatly break the mood. Archer likened it to his first few months working with a Vulcan science officer. Often T'Pol would state the obvious in her efforts to help inform the Captain, and Jon would politely allow her the appearance of teaching him so as to not create any hard feelings between them.

He saw the woman relax a bit and punch a few buttons on her scanner to show him what she was speaking of. Not in the mood for simple work conversation, Jon decided to take matters in his own hands. "Have you had lunch yet?" This question halted Acellia's movements and brought a somewhat puzzled look to her face.

"No I wasn't planning to partake of the midday meal today. I am behind on updating the transformer units and planned to use that time to catch up on my work. Why?" The alien's face was serious now, all traces of surprise gone and her demeanor controlled more like a certain Vulcan Archer knew.

"I simply thought we could use the time to discuss the specs over a nice plate of vegetarian spaghetti. I know this little place in the human quarter….the proprietor is this quaint little round guy who…" Jon's words trailed off as he could read the look she wore now as one of suspicion.

"Discussing anything about the project outside the confines of the plant is against your Mr. Reed's security protocols. And I might add, given the recent sabotage attempt, not at all logical….." Acellia stopped her evaluation of the Captain's suggestion when she saw his hands go up in surrender.

"I just thought since we are going to be working closely together, that we might take some time to get to know more about each other…. It is an Earth custom to exchange some personal information with people we have just met. It is our way of gathering information." Archer remembered the explanation T'Pol gave Captain Vanick for why Humans feel compulsive about exchanging personal information. He also knew that Acellia's people held the Vulcans in high regard, especially for their beliefs in logic. Using that word intermittently could get him past the woman's obviously tightened defenses.

"Councilwoman T'Pol informed me that exchanging personal information is your people's way of gathering information, however I do not believe an informal setting is necessary to exchange such data. The formal setting of a conference room will suffice nicely. At the moment, the plant has no such room that isn't under surveillance, so unless you wish such a conversation recorded and examined, I suggest we put off this fact finding until such time when the security measures are less rigid. Now if we could get back to the specs, I would also like to point out that…" Her words droned into oblivion as Jon began to realize that the woman he was supposed to live happily ever after wasn't going to be as easy to convince about her future. The occasional word was all he heard as the Captain grew lost in the woman's obvious beauty.

***
One day until test flight of Henry II:

Jon joined Trip as they came through the front gate of the Tucker's Vulcan home. They were beat after yet another long day at the plant. T'Pol who had been intermittently assisting in the preparations was called away to perform more of her council work after the midday break. She arrived home in time to pick up Elizabeth from her schooling and relieve V'Cara to return home to her studies. She was in the kitchen preparing the evening meal with Catherine when the two men came into the dwelling.

"T'Po.…." Trip announced himself only to be cut off mid word by his mate's entering the room. She walked directly up to the two offering out her hand to take their cloaks. Archer just smiled, seeing how his best friend still didn't quite understand all his wife's differences. The silence she greeted them with toned the louder engineer down a bit.

"Where're the kids?" Jon asked, not being privy to the empathic connection the other two shared.

"Elizabeth is in her room doing her home assignment. Lorian is in his room grooming his sehlat." T'Pol moved across the open space holding the two cloaks and placed them into a near by closet.

"Grooming his sehlat?" Trip asked, wondering what his mate was talking about.

"Yes…. Kamute is attempting to teach the child responsibilities. For every grooming gesture Kamute performs on Lorian, the child in return is expected to do similarly." This statement by the Vulcan brought pictures of the little boy licking at the grown creature's fur. The two men stood there very puzzled. Seeing this, T'Pol gestured toward the back hallway. "See for yourselves."

Without a moment's hesitation, Trip and Jon made their way down the east hallway. Sure enough, there on the floor sat the young lad with the creature resting right beside. The large catlike animal would make long swipes at the child's head with an immense tongue, its long fangs coming dangerously close to Lorian's soft skin.

The child's head bobbed under the weight of the large moist surface only to have it run once more over his crown. This continued for several seconds before the creature laid its head in the child's small lap. Lorian looked blankly at him, his golden locks matted to the top of his head. After a minute of contemplation, the little boy reached his hand out and began patting at the sehlat's fur. The small palm was simply slapping at the animal's head, but slowly started taking on a stroking fashion until it was clear the child began to learn what was expected of him. Lorian continued this motion, hearing the animal's growling grow louder with every stroke. Mesmerized, the two remained in this position for many long minutes until Trip began to chuckle. To this sound the sehlat's eyes sprang open and the child turned his head.

Stepping forward, Trip petted the animal as well, thankful that this large creature was in fact so incredibly dedicated to his son's welfare. The engineer then picked up the child and brought him over to greet his uncle Jon. Together and joined by Kamute, the group moved out to the living area and awaited the call to dinner.

Later that evening, as Catherine, Charles, James and the sehlats saw to the children's bedtime routine, T'Pol sat with her husband and Jon in the main living quarters. They were discussing the next day's launch, and the discussion wasn't at all soothing.

"I don't think it is necessary that you be aboard the flight tomorrow." Trip spoke loudly at his wife as she tried to reason with him about her point of view.

"I have to agree, T'Pol…. Trip and I are more than capable at tending to anything that can go wrong." The Captain didn't want to get into the middle of this domestic dispute, but felt that putting both their lives in jeopardy was not a logical thing to do.

"It is necessary that I make the flight to help show that we are jointly vested in this. Can you not see that if there is another failure, accusations would point to the Vulcans? It would not be logical for my people to sabotage a ship with the head of the High Council aboard. In this way I am reassuring the Humans involved that we are as committed to this project as they." T'Pol's voice remained even although her determinedness was formidable.

"That's exactly my point." Trip interrupted anything else she was about to say. "If something does go wrong and we don't get out in time, then who will be here to raise the children. It's too risky and I won't have it." The stubbornness in the room was heavy and Archer sat back, deciding to opt out at this point.

"I assure you, I can handle myself in emergency situations, possibly better than you both since Vulcan intelligence and reaction time is far superior to humans." T'Pol sat beside her husband, but her look was straight ahead into the candle that burned on the center table.

"Oh right, here we go again…. You are always telling me about how superior you Vulcans are to Humans, when are you gonna learn to admit that we really aren't all that different. I have known that about us since I met you..... If you claim to be so much more intelligent, then how come you haven't figured it out yet?" Trip's frustration was beginning to show as his voice grew louder and louder.

"Hey guys, why don't we table this conversation for…" Archer was cut off by T'Pol's response to her mate's accusation.

"There is scientific evidence that proves Vulcan reaction times and intelligence quotients are far superior to humans, you simply don't wish to acknowledge these facts due to pure human pride." Again she seemed more a diplomat talking to a group, not an angered wife speaking to her less than happy husband.

"Okay….. If you are so intelligent, then how come you ended up bonding to a human….If I recall, you weren't suppose to let that happen…. I seem to remember you telling me so just after we found out about this bond." Now Archer was starting to get embarrassed. Clearly Trip and T'Pol were totally oblivious to his presence and were getting into some really personal areas.

"The Captain ordered me too." That response by his former science officer got Jon's attention.

"I did what?" He asked totally in amazement. A similar look of puzzlement came across her mate's face too. "I did no such thing…" Archer returned defensively.

"You ordered me to fraternize,…a little. That evening in the control center of the catwalk and again when I was asked to go to the Frankenstein movie, did you not?" T'Pol turned her look from the candle to the captain.

"I suggested you would have better working relations with the crew if you got to know more than just their name and Starfleet jackets. I never ordered you to…." Jon continued and was cut off by her repeating his exact words.

"You said and I quote…..Do I have to make it an order?" Her look to him was straight and even.

"Yes, but that didn't mean that I was going to order you to fraternize….It was just a saying." Archer realized that perhaps his science officer took his light hearted comment a bit too seriously. He hemmed and hawed a moment then continued. "All I meant was that you wouldn't feel so alone if you got to know the crew a bit and in turn they would be more comfortable working with you once they got to know you. It was meant to help you earn their respect, not get you a date…. I didn't realize you took it as such."

"It did not get me a date, Captain… It simply went against my people's practices and in turn caused a fatal conflict in my control that led in part to the formation of this bond." She spoke not seeing the twisted face of her mate feeling like he was a piece of meat in a butcher shop window.

"Gee thanks…" He interjected wanting her to feel the thoughts she was obviously ignoring.

"I am merely saying that perhaps I could have controlled the situation better had I not been asked to partake in such a ritual. Besides the captain isn't the only one who had a hand in it." Trip straightened thinking she was now referring to him.

"Phlox also played a great role in decreasing my control in this matter." To this the young engineer's face contorted again.

"Phlox??" he exclaimed almost too stunned for words.

"Yes… It was he who convinced me to engage you in Vulcan neuro-pressure even after I explained to him how intimate a practice that was. He employed me to assist you in this way because of the very intimate loss you suffered."

"You and I both know that Vulcan neuro-pressure isn't that intimate a deal… I mean that is if that's all you are doing. Why in the world would you think Phlox was a part of making you loose control?" As Trip spoke, Jon wondered if he really should say goodnight before they start talking about their sex life.

"You know full well that Vulcans are connected to people through touch. That is why they refrain from it with strangers." This caught the Captain's interest.

"I knew you found it distasteful, but I thought it was because of being a public display. That's not why?" He suddenly wanted to understand more about this culture, as if it mirrored his own differences with Acellia.

"While it is true we disapprove of public displays of affection Captain, our disliking touch goes far deeper. Being in the same room with humans forces us to withstand their emotions, the waves of emotions we get from them upon touch are much more intense. It is like we are experiencing them ourselves and it makes us have to not only control our own emotions, but the ones we are sensing as well. It is quite exhausting. Often, when a touch is not anticipated, we are taken off guard by the barrage of emotions we receive and it can be very uncomfortable." This was a fact that Jon didn't know, even if Trip did.

"So that is why you didn't want to shake Trip's hand when he approached you that first time. You didn't want to experience his emotions." Archer asked, but T'Pol was more into feeling the hurt her words had brought up in her mate. This little debate on whether their bonding wasn't meant to criticize, but somehow that is what it was doing.

"Partially Captain. It was also the fact that I found his presence electrically disturbing and my training as a young Vulcan female warned me not to allow contact with him." T'Pol started and watched the eyes of her mate grow narrow. "There was a connection that I felt between us and since I was a betrothed Vulcan female, I was obligated not to allow such an attraction to grow. I was acting as I should in such a matter." Trip's narrow slits opened wide at that. He wondered just when this icy woman melted over his charms, now he knew it was love at first sight. A wise crack comment came to him and against her will Trip decided to share it with his old friend.

"I guess that got shot to hell when we ended up in decon together rubbing gel all over each other." A huge smile replaced the hurt feelings, inside and out. Archer now got to look surprised. He wasn't aware that while he was laying unconscious in sickbay, his two commanding officers were playing rub down in a hermetically sealed room.

"You seemed just as disturbed by the assignment as I was. As I recall, you lost your train of thought more than once during that time." T'Pol's voice was even and accusing, but the waves of sensation she sent through their bond were increasingly romantic in nature. Archer, on the other hand could read through her words like tissue paper. He quickly rose and decided to call it a night.

"It's late and we need our sleep. We can pick up this debate on how many we need in the cockpit tomorrow when we are fresh and rested." He started toward the door, forgetting his cloak due to the coolness of the evening sky. Seeing T'Pol coming towards him with it, Jon stopped and allowed her a chance to catch up.

"Listen you two…. What ever we decide, I want you to think of your kids first…. This project is important, but nothing is more important to this federation as they are. They are the symbols of what that concept stands for. They have to be a priority…." Trip nodded and T'Pol simply leaned closer into her mate. As Archer left the main dwelling, he could hear his old friends talking low through the heavy wooden door.

"He's right you know….. Somebody has to be safe for the kids, which means you are not going to be on that flight tomorrow….. I am your husband and I have spoken." Trip pulled her close to lay against him, as his back leaned heavily against the door.

"There are ways to get you to change your mind, husband." She commented, a very heady tone to her voice.

"Yes there are, and I invite you to use every one of them, but the answer will still be no." Trip eased down and stole the briefest of kisses from her lips. There came a sly smile to those lips as he added. "So you were in love with me the moment you met me….. I knew it." The mock disgusted reaction he got only made the young engineer chuckle more. In his eyes, his mate was dearer to him than anyone he'd ever known. The thought of loosing her was too great a sorrow to bear.

****
The next day brought a flurry of activity. There were last minute adjustments and preparations for the afternoon launch of the prototype. The battle of who would accompany Jon in the cockpit continued, creating a very tense atmosphere in the control room. T'Pol was determined that having a representative from both worlds would help to insure this test flight go on safely. Any chance of Romulan treachery would not be logical, given that the distrust aspect would be compromised. With all the back and forth on the subject, the councilwoman was still out voted two to one. The discussion continued as the three of them entered the front gate of the Tucker home for the midday meal.

"I don't believe you understand the complexities of this situation." T'Pol started then stopped abruptly. She concentrated hard at the air, until the men with her noticed her silence.

"T'Pol….?" Archer asked, seeing Trip starting to assess their surroundings.

"What is it?" Jon asked again but was left unanswered as the Tuckers broke into a run for the dwelling. He gave chase and watched in fear as his two friends made their way through the home and toward the back garden. At the kitchen door, there stood V'Cara, her back to them and her concentration hard on the action about the vegetation. It was then the barrage of screeching started. T'Pol knew instantly her children were not in their rooms, but in fact were in harms way among the greenery. She pushed past the young girl and started for the rows of vegetables. Trip was close behind her until an oversized Keller stopped his forward movement with its body.

"Remain here." T'Pol ordered to the group. This didn't sit too well with her mate, who quickly made his way past the persistent creature, and caught up to her in just a few steps. Jon's breath tightened in his throat at the site he saw before them.

In the corner of the garden stood Elizabeth and Lorian with a very defensive Kamute blocking them from the larger wild sehlat that managed to get into the enclosure. The untamed creature saw its dinner standing beyond this obvious competition. Its only thought was how to get past the other sehlat to reach its prey. T'Pol inched closer to the scene, only to have her husbands hand pull her back.

"What are you doing?" The jerk he used slightly startled his mate. She stared at him, ordering him mentally to let her go to their children. He released her arm and saw an unfettered mother move cautiously toward the pending danger. Trip held his breath, knowing with a fatal pounce the large cat-like creature could easily change its dining selection to a more mature choice. The closer his wife got to the rogue creature, the more Trip's heart shuttered in his chest.

T'Pol, however, could not afford the concentration it took to soothe her mate. She instead was sending mental orders to her children to remain very still and behind their pet. The elder house companion kept up a brave front of resistance, lashing out at the beast with any sign of forward movement. This battle of the sehlats continued as the young councilwoman made her way behind Kamute's body. She reached the children, pushing them behind her, all the while staring down the beast with a fierceness that rivaled the aggressor's determinedness.

Little by little, the team of Vulcan and sehlat turned the aggressor away from the waiting humans and toward the open back gate. As the children gained a clear route to their father, T'Pol mentally directed them to go to him, moving slowly so as not to distract the wild animal. Lizzie took the hand of her brother, and inched her way toward the kitchen doorway. As she did so, Keller came up and began adding his body to blocking the children from the eminent danger they had been in. Once safe with their father, Trip instructed V'Cara to take them inside and keep them there. The children went with her, but under mental protest, realizing that their mother was still in danger herself.

T'Pol remained very still behind Kamute, whose defensive stance hadn't changed. It moved forward and backward in response to the beast's changing posture. The screeching grew frantic once the animal realized his meal choices had grown fewer. As if angered by the domestic creature's interference. The real change came when T'Pol waved her loyal friend to leave them and return to the dwelling. The large fur ball balked at her order, only to be ordered again through a mental barrage. Kamute relented, moving slowly to her side, but never really leaving the young woman alone. Instead, T'Pol led him in a stare down contest, the beast so unnerved by her boldness it back down to reevaluate the situation.

From their spot, Trip and Jon could see the intensity of the standoff between animal and Vulcan. They wondered just what was holding the wild creature back from attacking its prey, now that Kamute had moved aside. Through their bond, Trip could feel a tremendous force being directed at the beast. This force, a combination of command and psychokinetic energy was formidable against the large animal's aggression. It eased backward slowly, as T'Pol made her way towards him. The scene was surreal, this petite woman pushing back this wild animal, fangs flared in a show of defense. The screeching took on a different tone, as if mentally T'Pol was attacking the beast and causing it great pain. When the creature finally got to the gate, it jumped through and made a mad dash back over the desert plain until it disappeared past the dunes.

Collectively the group let out the breath it was holding, Trip and Jon running up to meet T'Pol the moment the danger was over. The young Vulcan stood there staring out into the bright sun filled day. Trip reached her first, pulling her into him without shame of being in front of others. She allowed this, leaning back into him, but her mind was still questioning how the wild creature got through the parameter defenses and past the iron- gate. After many moments, the group investigated those questions, finding the parameter lasers disabled and the gate latch bent beyond repair.

***

In the control room, Johnson stood nervously trying to steady his growing fear. Beside him Skieck stood reviewing the last few simulations before the trial this afternoon. The incident at the Tucker home was relayed to Mr. Reed, who left his second in command at the plant to go to their home and help investigate the event. As the group returned to the plant, they gathered in a nearby conference room continuing to discuss the near miss attack.

The fast pace of the morning's activities finally caught up with the very nervous young man, as Josh's stomach started matching the noise of the returning control room staff. He left his post, signing off his surveillance duties to a junior staffer and walked down the corridor in search of some sustenance. In an empty lunch room, Johnson looked through the bins at what was left from the midday meal rush. The workers had all but cleaned out the trays and the young man was about to come to terms he may have to go without this day due to his over zealous attention to detail. A movement from the corner startled him big time and he let out an excited breath to help calm is over active nervous system. There in the doorway was Skieck's mate V'dera. She held a bowl of some sort, containing her husband's midday meal no doubt. This was a familiar occurrence for the couple, since Skieck's dedication to the project rivaled even his boss' commitment. V'dera recognized the human's dilemma and was quick to offer him some of what she'd brought for her mate.

"There is nothing left for you to consume… You are more than welcome to some of what I brought." She moved to a nearby table and began setting out an additional plate for the young male. Her movements were not offensive and Josh was quick to relax around her. He began to walk toward her, watching her dish out small portions from the bowl she carried.

From the scan room, a rather bored crewman watched the interaction with little interest. As the group talked over the puzzle at the Tucker home, Malcolm paced the room past the monitors and round again trying to guess what took place there. It was on his second pass that he happened to notice what the crewman didn't. Reed bent over the young man, causing him to dodge to the right to avoid the Brit's laying down upon him. "What the!" he exclaimed alerting Trip, Jon and T'Pol to the problem. They saw the scene that was unfolding in the lunch room and broke out of the observation room at a run.

The vacant lunch area was lit only by the diffused light that filtered through from the brightness of the midday sun. In corners of the room, shadows dulled the clarity of the scanner's resolution. It was in one of these shadows where a rather stunned Josh was being mentally assaulted by this very skilled woman. She leaned forward toward him preparing to place her fingers into the proper position to perform yet another meld. It was only the sound of the door swishing open that stopped her, but not in time to hide her true intention. V'dera backed away from the rather stunned young man as she saw the familiar uniform of Mr. Reed enter the room. Behind him filed in Trip, Jon and council woman T'Pol. She backed away further, revealing more of Josh's blank stare.

"There seems to be something wrong with this man…. I believe he needs some medical assistance." Skieck's mate tried to play the concerned Vulcan citizen.

"It is no wonder…." T'Pol started, the only one who recognized the sense that was going through the young lieutenant's mind. "He is suffering the effects of a failed mind meld. We stopped you before you could connect completely." Malcolm and Jon looked at the former science officer wondering where she was getting her accusation from.

"That seems illogical…. No one has touched this man since I entered the room. He seemed well when I came in." V'dera pushed her frantic nerves down as far as she could, but not far enough that the true Vulcan in their midst couldn't detect them.

"You are quite nervous, V'dera… Why is this?" T'Pol chased after her opponent's weakness and her aggressiveness only made the woman's emotions more and more noticeable.

"I do not experience nervousness." Her proclamation was merely text book.

"But you do, V'dera…… I sense it from you…. What is it that is making you feel this way?" T'Pol inched out from the group and Malcolm stepped up behind her, his hand on the grip of the phase pistol on his belt.

"You are mistaken…. I do not experience any emotions…. I am a student of logic, a student of Surak." T'Pol's advancing made the young woman's voice start to crack.

"I sense from you panic, V'dera…. Why is that….. What have you to be panicked about?" T'Pol was now merely yards from the woman and her prey. With her next step, Skieck's mate could feel the council woman's mind trying to control her much the same way she was trying to subdue the Lieutenant for the mind meld. The pressure upon her free will spooked the woman even more. Suddenly V'dera turned to the weakened male and grabbed him up by the arm, pulling him in front of her as a shield. Reed's pistol took position trying to find an open shot before the woman could harm the young man.

V'dera's fingers were poised on the human's neck preparing to snap it like a twig. She returned the glare of the group, paying particular attention to the waving pistol. The alien pushed the slender man back and forth like a pillow, having little difficulty with his 5 foot 9 inch frame.

"You are not Vulcan.." T'Pol's words came out not at all concerned what affect they would have on the alien. "You are Romulan."

"You have no proof of that…. I submit you are acting irrationally and I must guard myself against your illogical intentions." V'dera was trying to keep in character even though it was only for the Humans benefit.

"You would kill this human to protect yourself." T'Pol eased closer, causing the woman and her prisoner to move farther away. "That is not logical. No Vulcan would knowingly harm a human. We are all sworn to that oath before we begin service. I submit your actions are that of a Romulan. Your disregard for human life is proof of that fact. A simple DNA scan would confirm my hypothesis." The mention of a DNA scan spooked the woman all the more. She jerked up on Josh, as his face turned red from the added pressure of her finger tips. Malcolm saw the change and continued to look for a place to disarm the woman. Trip and Jon eased up behind a nearby console. They tried to make their bodies as small as possible, so T'Pol's distraction of logic would aid in their rescue attempts.

"You are acting like a Romulan, V'dera….If that is even your name." T'Pol could sense her husband's thoughts and knew they were positioning themselves for a surprise attack. She continued her forward movement, making the alien move more and more in their direction. "Is your mate Romulan as well. How did you get through our security scans…. It is not logical you were able to fool them." T'Pol's eyes stayed intent on the young woman's hands, her mind ordering those very finger tips to halt their ever increasing pressure. The tension between this mental force and the woman's will made her hand start to shake with its intensity. V'dera stared her opponent down, looking occasionally to her failing fingertips as if willing the strength back into them. She was so entrenched in meeting this resistance, she was totally unaware of the dynamic duo poised to attack her in just a few more steps. T'Pol continued to push her in that direction. She stepped in further, the mental battle showing with the intensity of their two faces.

"You will not succeed V'dera. Starfleet knows you were the one that sabotaged its first test flight. They know you are the one trying to create mistrust. Your plan will never work. Federation will be achieved and your race will have no place in the peaceful universe this plan will create." She stepped a few more inches closer and suddenly the two were rolled to the ground by the force of Jon and Trip's tackle. Trip grabbed Josh and pried him from the alien's grip while Jon wrestled with the evidently stronger female. The two crashed up against a nearby wall and Archer found himself trying to avoid a serious neck pinch. It was only the hand of T'Pol reaching in to bring the Romulan to her knees that allowed the situation to come to an end.

Reed quickly called for backup and within seconds the unconscious body of the Romulan was being whisked away to the brig. The captain shot a look of thanks to his previous first officer then helped both Trip and the frightened young male to their feet. The young lieutenant looked more than a little pale for his misadventures.

"All this time it was V'dera that was attacking me?" Josh asked a bit puzzled by the woman's motives. "I had dinner with Skieck's family lots of times…..You mean all this time she was getting me alone and programming me to sabotage the project?" Johnson was more than a little upset by the realization.

"Perhaps it wasn't all V'dera's doing." T'Pol shot a look to the Lieutenant which caused Reed to get onto his communicator and have Skieck pulled from the control room. He ordered the man held in confinement and another round of checks and double checks to the system. The launch would be postponed, but only for a few hours. It was determined by both sides that any further delay would only serve to support the Romulans' cause.

As the group walked back toward the control room, Trip realized for the first time his young friend wasn't the cause of the attacks on his family. He stopped, grabbing Johnson's arm at the end of the corridor. "Look Josh," Trip started fumbling with the words of apology that were in his mind all too inadequate for what the man was accused of. "I thought you were the one that tried to harm my family and I said a few things I'm not all that proud of….. I know now that you weren't to blame and I want you to know I feel really bad for what I was thinking and especially for what I said…. I just want to apologize and see if you can forgive me." Trip's words were heartfelt and held much emotion. His embarrassment was matched only by his hope the young man could understand where he was coming from.

"Hey…don't worry about it…." Josh started and slapped at the engineer's arm. "There for a while, I thought I was guilty myself." The mock look of confusion the young lieutenant gave his boss only brought a relieved chuckle to both men. They hugged, slapping each other hardily then turned back to the group. One by one they all filed back into the control room. It was a buzz with activity, but hushed quickly upon the group's return.

"Well what do ya see we get this baby flying?" Trip questioned the crewmen standing about them in the control room doorway and heard a huge roar in response. Everyone had their assigned stations and made a mad dash to get those stations checked out once, twice, three times even. Squads of engineering staffers poured over Henry II, checking every bolt and circuit. Jon and Trip joined them, while T'Pol took charge of the systems reviews from above.

*****
"Henry II is up and running?" A very pleased Trip Tucker announced over the intercom to his wife and more than two dozen control room personnel. We are at full impulse and breaking past T'Rukhemia as we speak, getting ready for Warp."

At his enthusiasm, Jon just had to laugh. He felt good about this one too. No buzzers or beeps had gone off to this point and the fact that they caught the true culprit only added to the excitement. He watched as T'Rukhemia became a distant memory, readying himself for warp maneuvers.

"When ever you're ready, you may proceed to warp speed." A very confident T'Pol called back from her spot at the center console. Though she was on the planet, her consciousness was nestled with that of her mate's flying millions of kilometers out in space.

"You heard the lady Cap'n…. Hit it." Trip feeling full of himself, tightened the straps of his seat. He poured over the many dials and readouts looking for any fluctuation. The captain pushed the lever forward feeling the familiar pull of a warp engine digging into the space and creating a warp distortion. Within seconds, the craft seamlessly was traveling at warp 1, then warp 2, not a bump one. Jon shot an impressed looked at his co-pilot who called back at him. "Is that all she's got…. Come on Cap'n, crank her up."

With a soft chuckle, Archer did just that pushing past Warp 4 and coming to the ever tense Warp 5 border. If this had been the Enterprise, the craft would be shuttering at this point, but not this ship. It eased along so smoothly, Jon had to keep checking his board to be sure he was still traveling at such a rate.

"In't that a beauty… Warp 5 smooth as a baby's bottom." Trip's accent only made the joy of the moment even brighter. He checked over his dials and allowed his co-pilot a chance to do the same. When all was fine, Jon looked back to Trip whose smile hadn't dimmed one little bit from the previous failure.

"Well Cap'n…. she's a Warp 7 engine… wantta try her out?" The young man's excitement was contagious, as Archer felt a huge smile come over his face as well. Easing the throttle forward, he saw the indicator denote the vessel's increase in speed.

Warp 5.6…..5.8……..6.0, the thrill of this new threshold was beginning to take the men's breath away. Warp 6.4….6.6….6.9. There seemed to be no end to what this machine could do. The dials and readouts Trip poured over all showed green, a color he and the captain had become more and more fond of over the last several years. The first shutters were noted at Warp 7.2, an all time high and a perfect stopping point for the test. As the Captain backed it down to Warp 7, he looked to his friend, seeing the pride coming out in spades.

"You did it Trip." Archer commented, slapping his hand onto the young man's shoulder. "Let's see how she maneuvers at this speed." Jon began a series of turns and coarse adjustments, all of which the small craft handled well. As they turned Henry II back toward Vulcan, both men imagined the possibilities of what this engine would do in the Enterprise and just how much it would help in their endless voyages ahead. It was a bitter sweet thing for both men, knowing that after the installment of the engine, they would once more go their separate ways. This was too hard for either of them to think about just now. There would be time for this later, when all the work was done and there was no more time together.

Upon returning to the hanger, the two pilots were mobbed by hoards of workers wanting to shake their hands. The project, it seemed did what it was meant to do. It brought together workers from both planets in a common goal and vision. If federation was as easy as this then Surak's plan was well on its way to becoming a reality. It was only the glaring evidence Mr. Reed found out about the attacks upon the Tucker home that told them that wasn't so just yet.

A note, found at one of the damaged parameter laser generators read. "Terra Prime is alive and well. Those who are not Human will be eliminated."

This note was what told Trip and T'Pol it wasn't safe for them on Vulcan. Jon was quick to offer his old friends their jobs back and a safe haven upon the Enterprise for the entire Tucker brood, even a young sehlat named Keller.

The End

*****

Hopefully the ongoing stories of the Tucker clan will continue in the next installment entitled "In Search of Hope". Again sorry for the long time between chapters, but between school, work and being ill, I just couldn't get too it. I really do appreciate the patience you all have had with this. Thanks again. T.

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