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Nih- Part 3

Author - zealousgirl
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Nih

By zealousgirl

Rating: PG-13 (mild swearing)
Category: Open

~Part 3~

The entire next day, Trip hid in his office. His outburst was now the topic of many conversations on board. He hoped that despite his ears burning from the gossip, that the crew had been able to keep the sorted details away from the Captain’s ears. That was all he needed. . . to have to explain to Jon why he nearly instigated a fight with Malcolm.

His staff, who were all aware that he was in a foul mood, had opted to not bother him, unless it was something serious. Occasionally, one of them would stand at his door, listening for movement and hoping that he was going to be alright. Even Cher, on 2 occasions, had attempted to look in on the commander, but was met with a resounding “Go away!”

Cher had lingered around his office in anticipation of a confrontation between Trip and T’pol. She was surprised when, at the end of the day, T’pol had not come to speak to Trip. Maybe she still had some work to do to convince T’pol that the Commander was indeed jealous and therefore was harboring deep feelings for her.

That evening, she nonchalantly wandered around Enterprise in search of the Vulcan. She was not in the messhall. She was not in her quarters. She was not in the gym. She eventually used the comm to locate T’pol.

It was Doctor Phlox who had responded to the call. “Yes. Are you looking for the Subcommander?”

“Ah. . . Doctor, is T’pol there?”

“Yes, but we are quite busy right now. If it is not urgent, could you wait to speak to her in the morning? She is helping me with a science project at the moment.”

Cher could not think up a good reason for going to Sickbay to talk to her. “Sure, it can wait.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, she realized that this was why T’pol had not presented herself earlier in the day. Since she would not be able to accomplish her next task until the next day, she returned to her quarters and promptly went to bed. She would be able to get a good night sleep for the first time in days.

“If that’s okay with you? . . .”

***************

T’pol had finished in Sickbay, a few hours earlier than expected, so was now walking around Enterprise, trying to make sense of the events of the previous few days. She now found herself standing in front of the doors of Commander Tucker’s quarters. It took her 10 minutes before she finally decided to push the doorbell. She needed to confront him, or else suffer the consequences of yet another night of ineffective meditation and vivid dreams.

A gruff “Come in,” was heard. T’pol keyed in the entrance code, and stepped in seconds after the doors slid open.

The room was lit only with a low voltage bedside lamp. He was lying on top of his sheets, wearing the same clothes as he did that evening in the gym – however, this time they were clean. His hands were behind his head and his eyes were focused on the ceiling.

“So, what do you want?” he asked impatiently.

“Commander, we must discuss your behavior over the last few days. I am concerned that you are not well.” T’pol spoke cautiously, cognizant of the fact that he may have another outburst if provoked.

He propped himself up on his elbows, and furrowed his eyebrows. “Me? Well, what about you? I just thought that you would be able to control yourself better.”

T’pol remained bewildered. “Mr. Tucker, I am behaving normally.” Exasperation could be detected in her voice.

Trip now sat up, and swung his legs around the side of his bunk, such that he was facing T’pol. “Guess my definition of ‘normal’ differs from yours.”

The conversation was not progressing as she had hoped, just a lot of rhetoric but no concrete answers. She resolved to ask the question that had been ruminating in her head. “Mr. Tucker, are you envious of my relationship with some of the members of this crew?”

Trip’s eyes lit up, and a smirk formed on his lips. “So, there is more than one? Didn’t think that Mal would appreciate that all that much. Although he is the love ‘em and leave ‘em type, I didn’t think he would be attracted to the same.”

“More than one what? And, what does Lieutenant Reed have to do with this?”

“Ah, gawd, T’pol. I’m no fool. And, I’m definitely not blind.”

“I would appreciate it if you would clearly express what you mean!” Her voice was now slightly raised, as her impatience was beginning to surface.

“You’re sleepin’ with him, and god knows who else! And, you’re flauntin’ it all over this ship! Does Jon know, or is he also part of the package?”

T’pol was taken aback by his assertion. She considered slapping him, but maintained her control, at least physically. Emotionally, she was starting to wear thin. “What business is it of yours?”

“You’re not denying it, then?”

“For your information, Mr. Tucker, I am not engaged, nor have I ever been engaged, in sexual relations with members of this crew!”

“Yeah, right. That’s not what I’ve heard, or seen. They’re even talking about it at Starfleet Academy! Ensign Woodhouse was kind enough to tell me all about it.”

T’pol paused for a moment. “Commander, I can not believe that you would take any stock in rumors.”

“Oh, there’s more. I did see you cozying up to Malcolm in the messhall, and then –“

“Lieutenant Reed and I were discussing a proposed self-defense course, which was suggested by Miss Woodhouse. If you had arrived a few moments earlier in the messhall, you would have seen that she had been sitting at our table as well. Actually, it was she who was with the Lieutenant.”

Trip looked at her in disbelief. He got up and crossed the room to get to his personal computer. He quickly found what he was looking for, and motioned to T’pol to read what it now displayed.

As she read, T’pol became progressively more confused, and almost even angered by the letter. The explicit nature of its content would have made most humans blush. If Trip didn’t know better, he would have sworn that her cheeks now shone with a copper patina.

“Commander, someone has perpetrated a falsehood. Not only have I never seen this correspondence, but the situations that are described have never occurred.” She stepped backwards, until she was next to his bed. Then, she sat down as if she were physically exhausted. “Do you believe that the Lieutenant would have orchestrated such a malicious lie?”

Given the sincerity of her disavowal, Trip was overwhelmed by feelings of relief, confusion, anger, and guilt. “I’m so sorry T’pol. I can’t believe that I let myself believe all of this.” He took a seat next to her. “When I first heard the rumors, I was shocked. But Ensign Woodhouse pointed out things that made me believe her in the end.”

“And, where did you get this letter?”

“I’m not too sure. I thought that Malcolm had forwarded it to me, just to show that he was the one to get the girl in the end.” Trip lowered his eyes, hoping that T’pol would not read more into his statement.

“I am suspicious that there is more to this than just a prank. Was there anyone present when you happened upon this?”

“Come to think of it, I did look up to find the Ensign grinning at me. It was almost as if she knew what I was thinking at that moment.” Trip gave T’pol a big smile. “I wonder what she’s really up to.”

“Well, Mr. Tucker, we will just have to watch her attentively.”

Trip nodded in agreement. “So, what do we do now?”

“I must meditate, so that I may devise a plan. I will contact you in the morning.” T’pol stood up and walked towards the exit. She paused to say, “Maybe we should continue to behave as we have these last few days, so as to not arouse suspicion,” before the doors slid shut.

Trip felt a wave of relief swell up inside him. Was it because he and T’pol were now ‘friends’ again? Was it because they were going to work together to figure out just what Cher was up to? Was it because Malcolm was not involved with T’pol? Or, was it because T’pol seemed to have missed the fact that he indeed had been jealous?

****************

First thing the next morning, T’pol was on the bridge when Hoshi intercepted a distress signal. A Kantarian Science Station orbiting a nearby primitive M-class planet required assistance for repairs to their main power generator. Archer had placed T’pol in charge of organizing the away team.

T’pol now stood in Trip’s office doorway. “Commander, your expertise is required for repairs on a nearby science station. Could you please assemble an engineering team to assist us?” She spoke a little louder and more pronounced than was usual for her.

Trip sat in his chair, and couldn’t help but smile at her. She was trying to hint that he bring Ensign Woodhouse along. He winked at her, before answering in a loud voice. “DON’T YOU THINK I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN SCURRY OFF TO FIX OTHER PEOPLE’S MESSES?”

If it hadn’t been for his wink, T’pol may have missed that he was following her advice from their prior conversation. “I would appreciate your cooperation, Commander. Please have your team, including yourself, in the launch bay within the half hour.” As she left, she announced loudly, “I will be leading the away team.”

As they had both surmised, Cher was eavesdropping from her office. She would have to find some way to get on that away team. Hoping that the commander would accept volunteers, she hustled to his office. “Hello, Commander. I could not help but overhear the Subcommander’s orders. May I be of some assistance?”

Trip did not look up from his computer. He merely raised his arm, as if to shoo her away. “Yeah, whatever. See you at the shuttlepod in 25.”

“Thank you, sir! You won’t regret it.” Cher cheerfully skipped off, secretly hoping that the experiment was nearing completion.

Once he could no longer hear her steps, he softly replied, “Nope, but I bet you’ll surely regret it.” He then got up and started to collect the necessary tools for this job.

**************

The 15 minutes that the 3 members of the away team spent in the shuttlepod had been in silence. Cher watched as her 2 superiors pretended not to notice each other, all the while kept giving each other sideways glances. After they docked and came on board the small science station, Trip and Cher were directed to the problem while T’pol followed the head scientist who was eager to share some of his findings with a fellow scientist.

It took just over an hour to repair the malfunction. Trip feigned being in a bad mood, and only communicated with Cher in grunts and nods. Inside though, he was bursting to just come out and confront her, but was following T’pol’s directions – “You should allow her to make the first move, voluntarily. That way we may be able to determine what her intentions truly are.”

For her part, Cher could no longer be patient. She wanted to see the experiment come to a successful end, soon. As they were packing up their tools, she ventured to speak. “Um. . . Commander. Is there something wrong? You and the Subcommander do not appear to be on friendly terms.”

Trip responded angrily. “Well, I think she is on friendly terms with enough of the crew!”

“So, you’ve found out about her and Lieutenant Reed. Must have been quite a shock, especially since well. . . you know. . . how you feel about her.”

Trip maintained his scowl, but also attempted to show an expression of hurt. “That’s life, I guess. Shoulda taken my chance when I had the opportunity.”

Cher was surprised that he had just admitted this to her. She would have to use this to her advantage. Putting her hand on his shoulder in a gesture to comfort him, she said, “Well, it’s her loss.”

“Ensign, could you do me a favor? Could ya go and collect ‘Vulcan’s Gift to Men’, since we’re done here?” Trip’s complexion seemed to sallow, as he stood staring at the ground, shuffling his feet.

With a smile, and a “Sure,” she went off to find T’pol. After she rounded the corner, Trip pulled out his communicator which had already been activated. “Hey, T’pol, did you catch all that? She’s on her way.”

“Yes, Commander. We will meet you at the shuttlepod.” He could have sworn that there was a hint of annoyance in her voice. He chuckled and thought: ‘Maybe it was that last insult. . . .’

****************

Cher met up with T’pol as she walked in the corridor leading to the shuttlebay. “Oh, hello, Subcommander. We have completed the repairs, and we are to meet the Commander at the shuttle.”

“Ensign, may I speak to you a moment before we depart. I am concerned by Mr. Tucker’s hostility towards me. I am also preoccupied by the notion that you may have been correct in your assessment that he desires me.”

“Well, I now know for certain that he has feelings for you. He just said as much to me. I feel sorry for him though, as I know that you are incapable of reciprocating.” Cher hoped that this approach would result in T’pol being at least a bit defensive.

“You are correct. I will have to explain this to him as soon as possible.”

Cher felt panicked. This was not what she wanted to hear. All her efforts could not have been in vain!

Her last chance would have to be when T’pol actually confronted Trip. “Subcommander, if I may, you should speak to him as soon as we are on board the pod. You should not prolong his pain any further.” As she said this, the doors of the shuttlebay opened, to reveal that the Commander had already arrived and was just completing a pre-flight check.

Cher entered the shuttlepod first, and took a seat where she would best be able to observe. She hoped that T’pol would take her advice, so that regardless of the outcome she could at least be a witness to the confrontation.

Wordlessly, Trip and T’pol entered, and took their respective seats. The pod’s engines ignited and they left the confines of the space station. It was a full minute before anyone spoke.

Trip turned around and looked at Cher. “Can we do it now, T’pol?”

Puzzled, Cher watched as T’pol spun around in her chair, and eyed her suspiciously. “Proceed.”

Trip stood up and crossed the short distance that separated them. He now towered over her. “Ensign, we would like to know just what the hell you think you’re doing!”

“Excuse me, sir?” Cher felt like an animal trapped in a cage. Her eyes flitted around the small space, looking for a way to escape.

“The Commander and I are aware that you have been attempting to interfere with our relationship, although the intended outcome does remain a mystery.” T’pol now stood up and placed herself next to the Commander.

Cher stood up as well. She could not think of what to say, as she looked into the mistrustful eyes of the couple standing in front of her. “It wasn’t my fault!” Taking a deep breath, she decided that she was going to explain everything.

Then, a change occurred in the young Ensign. She appeared to enter into a trance: her eyes unblinking, her pupils dilated, her sclera glassed over, and her body stiffened. She then spoke, in a voice that was her own, and yet differed in timbre. “I am Nih.”

Trip and T’pol watched as the petite red-head swooned and then collapsed. Trip had been swift, catching just before she hit the floor. For a moment, they just stared at her.

Lying on the shuttlepod floor, Cher seemed awake and yet not conscious of her surroundings. Her eyes remained open, but were not moving. She spoke again, slowly and well-enunciated. “I meant no harm. I am Nih.”

T’pol attempted to fetch the tricorder, so that she could assess the stricken shipmate. Her movements, however, were blocked by a lucent entity which now hovered about 10 centimeters off the floor. Measuring about 2 meters cubed, it had no definite form with its edges almost evaporating into the air of the room, yet there was a faint bluish-purple light emanating from it. “Commander!”

Trip turned, and looked with bewilderment at this strange light. He pulled out his pistol that he had holstered to his hip and pointed at it. T’pol simply stared at it, not moving.

Again, Cher spoke. “I am Nih. I wish to learn. I too search for answers.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Trip stood such that he was between Cher on the floor and the floating life form. He kept turning his head from one to the other, all the while aiming the pistol at the entity. “What have you done to Ensign Woodhouse?”

T’pol, who seemed to have grasped the situation with little effort, now spoke. “Nih, as I assume that you are speaking through Ensign Woodhouse, please explain what are your intentions.”

Cher responded, “I learn through observation. But I have no tangible form. Cher provided a shell.”

“Well, just what were you up to, then? Get your kicks outta messing with my head?” Trip’s frustration was now directed at Nih. He felt like shooting it, or throwing it out of an airlock, for all the turmoil it had caused.

“No. You are bi-gendered. A review of your ship’s computer made me want to know more about courting.”

“Courtin’?” Trip had to laugh at that. “Don’t think that word’s been used since the 19th century!”

T’pol stepped up, “Nih, we need to bring Ensign Woodhouse to Sickbay. Then you may meet with Captain Archer, as I am certain that he will have many questions for you.”

“What do you think you’re doing, T’pol? You’re not trusting him?”

“Commander, I would have preferred to not be an experiment subject, however I do understand Nih’s pursuit of knowledge.” She returned to speaking to Nih. “May I now contact the captain, and Dr. Phlox?”

The response now came from the entity itself. “Yessss. And, sssheee will beeee ffffine.”

******************

Archer had been understandably upset by the fact that one of his crew had been taken over, against her will, and made to carry an experiment on 2 of his senior officers. He was even more unhappy with the fact that despite the obvious disruption that this seemed to have had, as well as the averted fight on movie night, he had been left completely in the dark.

After several hours of conversation, and many apologies on Nih’s part, it was agreed that despite Nih’s good intentions that the troubles that he had caused would preclude his staying longer on Enterprise. As a act of good will, Nih had provided some information on nearby, uncharted systems. He also cautioned them about potential threats that were in the region, much to Malcolm’s interest.

Nih said his goodbyes to the bridge crew, and then disappeared.

*****************

That evening, T’pol was walking around Enterprise still trying to understand everything that had happened recently. As she passed the darkened observation lounge, the source of her ruminations was sitting on an upholstered bench, staring out at the stars.

“Good evening, Commander.” She now stood just behind him.

Trip was startled out of his reverie, and spun around to find the petite Vulcan looking down at him. The way the light reflected from the hull through the window and onto her face took his breath away – she was mesmerizing. After clearing his throat, he replied, “Good evening to you, too. Have a seat.”

T’pol complied, and positioned herself to his left. “You are having difficulties sleeping?”

“Yup. Guess that’s your problem too?” He tried not to look at her, and hoped that she had forgotten all about his jealous ex-boyfriend routine. At least the Ensign had an excuse for her behavior, but what was his?

To his dismay, she had not forgotten. “Mr. Tucker, I am troubled by your hostile behavior towards me.”

Trip sighed, before saying, “I’m sorry Subcommander. I was a jerk. No excuse. . . . I guess I just didn’t like seeing you with another guy.” He continued to gaze out the window.

“I do not know how to respond.” She hesitated before continuing, “Although, I must admit that I do not like ‘seeing’ you with other women.”

Turning towards her, he could not help but smile at this confession. “I’m not sure what to say to that either.”

They spent the next several seconds, staring into each other’s eyes, almost in an attempt to read what was behind them. Upon realizing what they were doing, both looked down quickly.

It was Trip who spoke next. “How about we call a truce for now, Subcommander? And then we’ll see.”

“That would seem to be logical.” T’pol leaned in a little and spoke now almost in a whisper, “And, you may call me T’pol when we are off-duty. May I call you Charles?”

He chuckled. “I’ll let ya call me whatever you like, darlin’.”

****************

Cher had spent over a day under observation in Sickbay. After detailing her initial encounter with Nih, she explained how Nih had somehow been implanted into her sub-conscious in order for her to accomplish what needed to be done.

She admitted to writing and sending the letter to Trip, as well as damaging the equipment in the gym, knowing not only that she and T’pol would be there, but that Trip would be forced to fix it himself (she had anonymously contacted him with the repair request). Her explanation for knowing personal aspects of the crew was that Nih had scanned all of Enterprise’s databanks, including logs and correspondences.

She was adamant that he had not harmed her. The only residual effect from the ‘possession’ was a slight headache that would require analgesics for a few days.

It was around midnight when Phlox had finally discharged her, as she was deemed completely healthy. Cher now sauntered along the corridor; her head lulled with each effort to lift her feet. She was exhausted.

As she passed the observation lounge, she made out 2 figures sitting very close to each other, seemingly engrossed in conversation. A sliver of a smile signaled her recognition of the couple. Not wanting to be caught snooping again, she only paused for a moment before heading to her quarters.

When she stepped inside, she was thrilled to find a familiar friend. Nih was waiting for her, as they had not yet said their goodbyes. “Oh, Nih. You would never guess who I just saw. They were cozying up in the observation lounge. Maybe our efforts will be rewarded in the end.”

Nih did not respond verbally, as their link was so strong that he was able to send his thoughts to hers.

“Thanks for taking all the blame, by the way. If they knew that I was a willing participant in this, I would probably be sent home, or worse court-martialed. Are you sure you can’t stick around?”

Cher focused on the thoughts being relayed to her. “Where will you go? I’ll try to keep you up to date, especially about our favorite pair.”

Nih’s iridescent form now glowed bright orange, showing his pleasure.

“Well, it’s been fun. And now, I’ll get to milk everyone’s pity for a while.” She laughed. “Maybe I’ll also keep up with these experiments on my own, now that you’ve given me the taste for it. Any suggestions?”

Cher sat down at the computer and started to search for a new project. “What about Malcolm and Hoshi. . . ?”

**************

THE END

Author’s note: I know that it was silly in parts, but hey, I had fun writing it. One of the challenges was to try not to use ‘he’ or ‘his’ or ‘it’, as I wanted to maintain the genderless aspect of this entity. I had written out a whole bunch of dialogue with Nih but it was annoying to write, as well as to read it like that. But the best part is  I get to vote in the contest!!!!!

**************



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Nine of you have made comments

Okay, so far so good. I will be interested to see where you go with this story. Ali D :~)

hehehhee, oh giggle! This is quite amusing ...where's the rest?!!! ;-)

hee hee hee that was real cute :-) gotta love T/T :-) Fun!!!

I love that Nih and Cher became friends in the end. Can we have more on these two - The Adventures of Cher and Nih - you could make it a series.........coooool!

An intriguing story, subtly presented.

This story was a lot of fun. Are you going to make it a series?

I really enjoyed the fact that you created a non-humanoid alien. Also, I liked the fact that Trip and T'Pol subconsciously trusted each other enough to compare notes and figure out what was going on. Thanks! This was fun and very Trekky.

OK kinda silly but still a good read!

A better magazine theme will make the blog looks nicer:)