Reflection-Ch 12

Reflection

By Triplover

Disclaimer: I don’t own a thing.
Rating: R
Summary: Trip must face some old demons when a friend from the past reappears asking to stay on Enterprise as a member of the crew.
A/N: Sorry this took so long but look at it this way, the longer it takes the better the chapter!

Chapter Twelve

“It’s just like your shuttles only it’s equipped with more. Its weapons are equal to Enterprise, well almost. And it can go up to warp three,” Sim explained showing Trip the controls. “You shouldn’t have any problems. The only real problem is workin’ the weapon. It took me a month just to figure out how to trigger it.”

Trip frowned. “How complicated can it be? It’s just another weapon.”

Sim smiled. “It’s not just another weapon Trip. This weapon was made in the future; it’s completely alien to this century. The thing could make a sun supernova or just blow up a small state.”

“Why would they make a weapon like this to destroy Enterprise?”

“I guess the master wanted there to be no problems on his end. He made us a device that could do what we needed and more,” Sim muttered before moving over to the back of his ship. “There’s a padd in your quarters that I left you. There it contains information on how to turn on the weapon. Follow them to the letter or it’ll blow up.”

“Isn’t that what I want here?”

“The blast yield wouldn’t be enough. It has to be activated to full power for it to work the way we want it to. It’s a fail safe device in case it’s put in enemy hands. Without the right activation codes it would be a miracle if you were able to blow up your own ship.”

“Your master thought of everythin’ didn’t he?” Trip muttered with a smirk.

Sim turned to look at his counterpart. “He’s not my master, he’s Tesic’s.”

The smirk left him as soon as he realized what he’d said. “Sorry.”

Sim ran his right hand through his hair. “No problem. Just don’t screw this up.”

“Relax; this baby’s in good hands Sim. I promise.”

Sim nodded. “I can almost guarantee it,” he agreed before walking to the ship’s doors which would lead him back onto Enterprise. “Meet me back here in an hour. There are a few more things I need to run by you before it’s time.”

“Aye, aye sir,” Trip stood straight and saluted him jokingly.

Sim let out a small chuckle before the door opened and Sim disappeared behind it.

==

Archer had been thinking about the conversation he’d had with Trip earlier all night. And he’d come to realized for the first time in a while that Trip was not doing as well as he made things seem. Trip tried to look like things were all together but he was a very good actor. He was hurting. He was upset. “And part of it is my fault,” Archer told himself allowed. If he hadn’t made Sim die for Trip, if he hadn’t forced something that he knew Trip would never have approved of then their relationship might not be as bad as it now is.

You wouldn’t have a relationship with him! He’d be dead! A voice inside him said.

Archer shook his head. I killed a man to save my friend, that’s all there is to it. I need to talk to him. I need to straight all this out. I need my friend back before I lose him forever.

He couldn’t leave things the way they were left. Not after almost eleven years of friendship. Archer hit the com. “Archer to Commander Tucker.”

“Tucker here.”

Archer smiled. “I was hoping you’d join me in the ready room for a quick second.”

There was a long pause and what sounded like talking in the background. “Sure Cap’n, I’ll be there in a sec.”

==

When Trip walked into the ready room he smiled awkwardly. “Hey Cap’n.”

Archer smiled back at him then cleared his throat. “Hey Trip. Look, I know what I did to you affected you, and our relationship and I know I never should have made Sim die in order to save you. I wish I could say the only reason I did it was for the good of this ship and the mission. It’s what I kept telling myself over and over again as I watched Sim grow up. I just kept thinking that there was only one reason for why I was going to do what I did. And that it had nothing to do with our friendship.”

“But it did have to do with our friendship, didn’t it?”

Archer nodded and turned to look out the window nearby. He couldn’t look him in the eye anymore. “I couldn’t even think about being on Enterprise and not having you here. Not seeing you in engineering, never being able to talk to you if there was something on my mind, I just couldn’t imagine it. I didn’t want to imagine it because when I did, there was a big piece of the puzzle missing. Something wasn’t quite right and I didn’t care if that meant breaking a few ethics because I was determined. T’Pol tried to talk me out of it. She understood how you would feel. She knew you’d never want me to use someone like that. I could see it but I wouldn’t listen. I didn’t want to listen.”

“You were willin’ to do all that just because of our friendship?” Trip asked in surprise.

“Not just because of it. Just like you had many reasons for taking this mission I had tons of reasons to do what I did. I guess I made a mistake but I’d hate for that mistake to get in the way of our friendship.”

Trip immediately thought of his conversation with the T’Pol. The conversation where she finally told him what had been going on with her.

Everyone makes mistakes, even Vulcans.

“Cap’n, everyone makes mistakes. I’ve made plenty. But sir, I always wondered sometimes if what happened with the Cogentitor might have changed things between us for good.”

“It did, for a while. I couldn’t believe you’d do something so stupid and I suppose things changed after that. We both changed after that. And then after Sim it seemed like there was nothing left, like our friendship was gone.”

Trip closed his eyes for a second and breathed in deep before looking back at his captain. “Sir, can I ask ya somethin’?”

“Of course.”

Trip took in another breath. “When Sim came here I could see how you treated him compared to me. You were tryin’ so hard to become friends with him and, well I guess it’s been on my mind more than I’d like to admit but… were you tryin’ to be closer to him because of what he didn’t do? I mean, he never made the mistake with the Cogenitor, I did. He never made any of the mistakes I made. I guess I’m wonderin’ if maybe you wanted a relationship with him, since you didn’t want one with me.”

Archer’s eyes widened. “Trip, you’re my friend! Our relationship may have hit some rough spots but you’re still my friend and you always will be. I forced Sim to die in order to save you and the only reason I’m acting any different with Sim now is because of what I owe him. He gave up everything to save Earth; I wanted him to know I appreciated what he did for us, all of us. That’s all Trip, I just wanted him to know how important what he did was. How could you think that Trip? After all we’ve been through, how could you think I wanted to be closer friends with him just because you made a mistake?”

“My mistake killed someone, Cap’n. She died because of me!”

“Her death was her choice! Yes, you may have had something to do with it, chances are you did but what she did was her choice and her choice alone. You didn’t pull the trigger, Trip.”

Trip rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t. I just gave her the gun,” he whispered.

Archer shook his head and walked over to his chief engineer. “You didn’t do that either. Don’t punish yourself because of this. How could you know that things would end the way they did?”

“I should have known!”

Archer smiled. “So your Daniels now?”

“No.”

“Then you must be psychic.”

“No.”

“Then how should you have known?”

“I don’t know! I just should have seen it coming. I mean, who would want to live like that after learnin’ so much about the world, about the universe?”

“There are some things we can’t control, Trip. You did what you thought was right and you can’t condemn yourself for that, because it’s your idea of right and wrong that’s gotten you this far. You’re a good man, your mother raised you right and don’t let one mistake do this to you. It wasn’t your fault. The only thing you can control is your own choice. Yes, you made the wrong one, but it had to happen sometime. Out here, right and wrong is never as black and white as it should be.”

Trip smiled lightly. “Maybe your right, but I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my past. Too many mistakes.”

“Yeah well, so has every other imperfect man, Trip.”

Trip smiled lightly though Archer could tell it was a fake smile. Their friendship may still be alive but he knew Trip was a different story. From day one he’d come to realize there was more to this southern gentlemen than what met the eye but he’d never had a clue as to what was behind those baby blue eyes. He probably never would. “Thanks Cap’n.”

Archer grinned. “Thanks Trip.”

“For what?”

“For letting me know that I didn’t completely destroy our relationship.”

“Cap’n, you’re still my friend no matter what and I’d rather die knowin’ that we were still friends rather than knowin’ our relationship has diminished because of what’s happened between us. I guess we’ve needed this talk for a while.”

“Yeah.”

There stood a silence between them but this time it was a comfortable silence. After what they’d both been through Archer had worried so much about what would happen to their friendship and although soon his friend would be gone he was relived that his last memory of being with his friend would be a good one.

Trip smiled. “I’m guessin’ that wasn’t exactly what ya called me up here to talk to about,” Trip finally said.

Archer nodded then paused. “Actually no, there’s just one more thing. I just wanted you to know… Enterprise won’t be the same without you. I won’t be the same without you. Hell, this crew won’t be the same without you. We’re all going to miss you. I just can’t believe that soon you’ll be gone. You’ve done so much for all of us. I just wanted you to know we’ll never forget what you’ve done. You’re a brave man, an honorable man and it’s been a privilege to have you as my chief engineer and as my friend.”

Trip breathed in deeply. Archer would never know how much those words meant to him. “Sir, it’s been an honor to serve under you, a real honor.”

Archer looked into Trip’s eyes and extended his hand. His chief engineer took it grinning. “You’ve been a good friend to me, the best.”

Trip patted his back. “Somebody had to watch your back Cap’n,” he joked. He then shook his head still smiling. “I gotta admit Cap’n, I really expected you to fight me takin’ this mission. I mean you created Sim just to save me.”

Archer nodded. “Trip, believe me when I say every bone in my body wants to keep you here, wants to keep you from taking this mission but if I did… I might lose your friendship forever. And that’s something I can’t give up. I know you need to do this and I know that this mission is important to you. I don’t want to lose a friend, but it isn’t my decision this time. This is your choice to make and I won’t stand in your way.”

Trip walked over to his captain and pulled him into a hug. When they moved away there was an awkward silence before Trip spoke up. “Thank you… Jon.”

Jonathan smiled. He had to admit, he liked Trip calling him by his first name. And after eleven years of friendship it seemed more natural than ‘Captain’ or ‘sir’. It was then that they heard the com beep. Archer walked over to the com unit.

“Malcolm to Captain Archer,” said Mr. Reed over the com.

“Archer here, what is it Malcolm?”

“Their coming.”

Archer looked over at Trip whose eyes had darkened somewhat. “Understood.”

Trip breathed in deeply and his whole stance changed. “Sim wanted me to meet him on his ship one last time to go over some things. I should get going.”

Archer nodded. “Good luck.”

“You too, kick their asses Jon.”

Archer grinned. “I think that can be arranged.”

==

Trip raced down the corridors. Finally he slowed down as he looked at the door that would lead to Sim’s ship. He opened the doors quickly and walked inside to see Sim at the helm, his fingers racing over the helm. He turned to look at Trip and smiled. “You’re late.”

Trip stopped to catch his breath then walked over next to Sim. “I was talkin’ with the Cap’n.”

Trip’s clone paused before standing, his eyes staring into Trip’s. “I’m glad I got a chance to meet you Trip. We may not have spent as much time together as we did tryin’ to avoid each other but I’m glad we got this chance.”

“So am I Sim. You’re a good man. Good luck.”

Sim dropped a hand to Trip’s shoulder. “You have so much here Trip, I’m not sure you should give it all away.”

“You deserve more Sim.” They didn’t have time for this!

“So do you, just by the fact that you want to do this for me shows how much you deserve to live too. This universe will need as many good men as it can get. When you read the padd you’ll find a letter encrypted in the message. Activate it. Goodbye Trip.”

“Sim-“

But before Trip could finish the sentence phaser fire flashed towards him and Trip fell to the ground revealing Rylic who stood behind him. Sim took in a deep breath. “Help me get him out of here.”

Rylic nodded, grabbing onto Trip’s uniform while Sim took the padd that was laid nearby and unzipped the uniform to stuff it inside. “That’s two you owe me now, Trip. Do me a favor, pay me back without tryin’ to get yourself killed next time,” he whispered then grabbed Trip’s feet. “We should hurry; Tesic will be in firin’ range soon.”

Rylic smiled. “You’re a good man.”

Sim smiled back proudly as they carried the young man out into the hallway. “I was cloned after a good man and though I try to be as little like him as possible it’s a hopeless endeavor and for that I owe him my life three times over.”

Rylic laughed. “Planning on returning a third time Sim?”

“Oh god I hope not, there’s only so many ways a man can die. I’d like not to haffta explore all of em.”

Rylic grinned. “Aw Sim! Where’s your sense of adventure?!”

To Be Continued

Continue to Chapter 13 - Conclusion

Return to Chapter 11

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Two folks have made comments

Nice Nice Nice, update soon please.

YESSSS!
I just hope, Sim knocked some sense into Trip (who no doubtly will be pissed when he wakes up).
Wonder what happens now...
Next chapter please!
;-)