Title: Gift
Catagory: post episode fiction--Shuttlepod One
Summary: After being released from Sickbay Trip takes care of some unfinished
business
Notes: This hasn't been beta read so all errors are mine. Please R/R :)
Chief Engineer Charles 'Trip' Tucker III was the first to arrive to the Captain's weekly
dinner. He had hoped it would turn out that way. Since the events on Shuttle Pod
One and his time in sickbay this was the first dinner Trip had been able to attend. As
he stepped through the door Tucker held a small purple bag in his right hand.
"Evening, Cap."Tucker greeted as he walked into the room.
Captain Jonathan Archer smiled at his old friend as he turned away from the window.
"Hey, Trip. Have a seat. Chef's almost ready with the appetizers."
"Good."Trip replied as he sat down. "I'm starved. Any more of Phlox's sickbay food
and I'd need two more weeks just to recover from that."
Archer laughed. "I won't tell Phlox. He thinks you and Malcolm liked it."
"We just didn't know what we were eating to have an opinion."Tucker replied as he
placed the bag on the table.
Archer moved over to the table. "What's in the bag?"
"Gift for you."Trip replied suddenly self conscious.
"Really?"Archer asked as he pulled the bag toward him. "This isn't a gag gift that's
going to explode or bite me is it?"
Trip laughed and shook his head. "No. I meant to give this to you earlier but by the
time Phlox let me out of Sickbay and I was able to track this down....."
As Tucker talked Archer had began to pull a glass bottle out of the bag it was full of a
brown liquid. "Trip is this what I think it is?"
Tucker nodded. "Yeah.....Malcolm and I sorta helped ourselves to that bottle you
had stashed away on shuttle pod one. We used it thinkin' we weren't going to make it
back....thinkin' you guys were gone."
Jonathan closed his eyes briefly as the image came unbidden to his minds eye. The
image that had greeted the away team and himself when they had finally pried open
the hatch to the wayward shuttlepod. Everything had been so incased with ice that
Archer had thought they had been too late. Too late to find anyone alive.
Shaking away the memories Archer placed the bottle on the table as he glanced at his
friend. "Thank you."
Trip grinned as he settled back in his chair. "You're welcome."
Archer sat down. "Where'd you find this anyway? Took me nearly three years to find
that bottle and that had been through some back alleys."
"I have my sources."The chief engineer replied mysteriously.
Archer laughed. "As a captain do I want to know about these sources?"
"No."
"Okay."Jonathan replied quietly. "Seriously, Trip. When you're ready to talk about
what happened......."
Trip's gaze strayed to the window and the starscape beyond and Archer knew he
wasn't seeing any of it. "I appreciate that, Cap."
Just then the door chimed signaling the arrival of Sub Commander T'Pol to complete
the dinner guest list. The Vulcan entered the room and took her customary place at
the end of the table as the Chef appeared and began to serve the appetizers.
After the chef left and the small talk faded the trio of friends fell into companionable
silence. Things were returning to normal or what passed as normal aboard the
Starship Enterprise.
end
Catagory: post episode fiction--Shuttlepod One
Summary: After being released from Sickbay Trip takes care of some unfinished
business
Notes: This hasn't been beta read so all errors are mine. Please R/R :)
Chief Engineer Charles 'Trip' Tucker III was the first to arrive to the Captain's weekly
dinner. He had hoped it would turn out that way. Since the events on Shuttle Pod
One and his time in sickbay this was the first dinner Trip had been able to attend. As
he stepped through the door Tucker held a small purple bag in his right hand.
"Evening, Cap."Tucker greeted as he walked into the room.
Captain Jonathan Archer smiled at his old friend as he turned away from the window.
"Hey, Trip. Have a seat. Chef's almost ready with the appetizers."
"Good."Trip replied as he sat down. "I'm starved. Any more of Phlox's sickbay food
and I'd need two more weeks just to recover from that."
Archer laughed. "I won't tell Phlox. He thinks you and Malcolm liked it."
"We just didn't know what we were eating to have an opinion."Tucker replied as he
placed the bag on the table.
Archer moved over to the table. "What's in the bag?"
"Gift for you."Trip replied suddenly self conscious.
"Really?"Archer asked as he pulled the bag toward him. "This isn't a gag gift that's
going to explode or bite me is it?"
Trip laughed and shook his head. "No. I meant to give this to you earlier but by the
time Phlox let me out of Sickbay and I was able to track this down....."
As Tucker talked Archer had began to pull a glass bottle out of the bag it was full of a
brown liquid. "Trip is this what I think it is?"
Tucker nodded. "Yeah.....Malcolm and I sorta helped ourselves to that bottle you
had stashed away on shuttle pod one. We used it thinkin' we weren't going to make it
back....thinkin' you guys were gone."
Jonathan closed his eyes briefly as the image came unbidden to his minds eye. The
image that had greeted the away team and himself when they had finally pried open
the hatch to the wayward shuttlepod. Everything had been so incased with ice that
Archer had thought they had been too late. Too late to find anyone alive.
Shaking away the memories Archer placed the bottle on the table as he glanced at his
friend. "Thank you."
Trip grinned as he settled back in his chair. "You're welcome."
Archer sat down. "Where'd you find this anyway? Took me nearly three years to find
that bottle and that had been through some back alleys."
"I have my sources."The chief engineer replied mysteriously.
Archer laughed. "As a captain do I want to know about these sources?"
"No."
"Okay."Jonathan replied quietly. "Seriously, Trip. When you're ready to talk about
what happened......."
Trip's gaze strayed to the window and the starscape beyond and Archer knew he
wasn't seeing any of it. "I appreciate that, Cap."
Just then the door chimed signaling the arrival of Sub Commander T'Pol to complete
the dinner guest list. The Vulcan entered the room and took her customary place at
the end of the table as the Chef appeared and began to serve the appetizers.
After the chef left and the small talk faded the trio of friends fell into companionable
silence. Things were returning to normal or what passed as normal aboard the
Starship Enterprise.
end