Author: Alexandria McLane
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Star Trek Enterprise. There is no profit being made.
Summary: This story will take you through what I believe to be Trip and T'Pol's relationship leading up to the launch of NX-01, and continuing into the actual series.
Spoilers: None right now
A/N: It has been 12 years since I have written any kind of fanfiction. I reserve the right to use my creative license as I see fit, and would like you to know that I am not perfect. This is merely just something out of my head. Everything in italics is narrative.
Prologue (2149)
T'Pol of Vulcan arrived on Earth, as per her new assignment. She was known to the High Command as an able bodied, multi-tasker, as she has quite an extraordinary record. However, if anyone were to describe her in one word, it would be odd. She wasn't your run of the mill Vulcan who was well disciplined. In fact, after her stint as an agent for the Ministry she spend a considerable amount of time with the monks of P'Jem purging herself of the memories that led to her undisciplined nature.
Today was a new day for T'Pol. She vowed to herself that as she accepted her new assignment as ambassador to Earth, next to Soval, that she would become more disciplined, and the greatest image of Vulcan stoicism she could be. With her confidence renewed, she walked into the Vulcan Compound, and straight to Soval's office to report to duty.
[T'Pol's POV]
l stood tall. Soval circled around me slowly. "You do understand why you are here. Discipline is one of those things you lack, T'Pol. Following your fullara at P'Jem, I was informed of your difficulty. You are here to learn discipline, and it would do you some good to embrace that". Soval said as he looked down at me. If I weren't mistaken, he could have looked right through me. He continued, "Your assignment was given to you based on your record, not anything else. Your quarters are on the east side of the compound, and you are to be ready at 0800 tomorrow to begin your duties." As he finished I simply nodded and left letting out a barely audible sigh.
The Vulcan Compound was built to mimic the capital buildings that I had spent most of life working in. With the familiar surroundings, it was quite easy to find my quarters. As I keyed in the security code the first thing I noticed was the view. Soval knew me well, as he is an associate to my family. He is the one Vulcan I can count on to not pass judgement on my quirks. In fact, he had all of my meditation pillows set up opposite the pleasing view. I found my quarters quite suitable.
It was a year into her new assignment on Earth, and T'Pol felt weary of all the travelling to and from Starfleet Headquarters and the Vulcan Compound. Her emotional suppression has come a long way in just a short Earth year. T'Pol decided that she wanted to reward herself for all her hard work and be true to her scientific nature and explore the surroundings of The Vulcan Compound.
The streets of San Francisco were unusual to her. She heard something that seemed to stir the sleeping emotions she fought so hard to suppress. T'Pol couldn't help herself, and her legs seemed to be taking her right into the direction the sounds seem to be coming from. She stood a moment outside a nightclub, listening, debating. She found herself entering quickly and dipping into a dark corner. T'Pol realized the oddest prickling at the back of her head. A sensation she could not quite describe, but it filled her with what seemed like comfort, and turmoil all at the same time. Instead of leaving, like a disciplined Vulcan should, she stayed to satisfy her curiosity.
Across the nightclub sat a group of men carrying on and having a good time. This was not the place that Charles "Trip" Tucker III would usually find himself. However, he was sueded by some colleagues to go out for a drink, and Trip was not one to turn that down. He was working on the NX-01 ship, building her engines from scratch. His buddy, Jonathan Archer had already assigned him to her as his first officer, and he couldn't have been happier. After a particularly tedious day, he decided the drink at a low key jazz club was just what he needed to wind down.
Trip was lost in his own thoughts until a mysterious shadow seemed to enter the nightclub. He looked up from his lager, and watched the shadow hide in the corner of the club. He wasn't quite sure what piqued his interest in this, but he felt a deep turmoil begin to rise in him. Whoever this shadow was, he didn't like it. It made him feel comfortable and angry at the same time. He watched the shadow until it left, and only when it left did he calm down.
TO BE CONTINUED