Author's Note: Please see previous notes. This is an AU one that takes place 7 years into the Enterprise mission, after Terra Prime etc. It's been about 3 years since Elizabeth. Trip and T'Pol have moved past their romantic relationship and are just friends now. But, there's something that Trip doesn't know…
This started as a snapshot story that some people asked that I continue. So, if the beginning is familiar, it's because you've read the Snapshot. Keep going! The story continues, but I wanted to place the entire thing in one spot so new readers weren't out to lunch.
Let me know that you think!
XXX
T'Pol stood with Trip and Captain Archer waiting for the airlock to release. A Vulcan delegation was coming aboard the Enterprise for 3 days to negotiate a trade deal with the Kartasians. The Enterprise was neutral ground for both parties as they both had trade deals with Earth already.
The airlock slid open and Minister K'Yur, the head of the delegation exited first.
"Greetings," she said with a shallow bow.
"Greetings Minister K'Yur, I am pleased to finally show you my ship," Captain Archer said with a smile.
Minister K'Yur, who was already familiar with Captain Archer, T'Pol and Commander Tucker, turned to introduce her associates.
"May I present H'Pog, T'Fer, and Wess," K'Yur stated formally. "My trade negotiation delegation."
"Pleased to meet you all," Captain Archer said with a smile. "May I present Commanders T'Pol and Tucker. The Kartasian delegation will be coming aboard in an hour."
All of the Vulcans nodded. T'Pol couldn't help feel that T'Fer was looking at her strangely.
"Commanders T'Pol and Tucker will show you to the guest quarters which I hope you will find acceptable," Captain Archer said before he bowed and the group walked past him toward the turbo lift led by Commander T'Pol.
"I have adjusted the heat in your quarters to be Vulcan normal," Trip said absently as they waited for the turbo lift. "And I got my crew to change the lighting circuitry to a more muted tone in keeping with your vision sensitivity."
The turbolift arrived and everyone walked inside.
"Thank you, Commander, for your thoughtfulness," K'Yur said as they rose down to the guest level.
"I just think it helps everyone's mood for negotiations if they are a little more comfortable," Trip smiled at them.
"How very logical," Wess nodded at the human.
"Thank you for complimenting my logic, "Trip said clearly.
"How long have you both been on board Enterprise?" T'Fer inquired.
"T'Pol and myself?" Trip asked. "Since the start."
"Seven years, three months, and 12 days" T'Pol clarified.
"That is a long time to serve on the same ship on Vulcan," T'Fer noted. "I am sure you must miss your family Commander Tucker?"
"Only my parents and my brother's family on Earth," Trip said reluctantly. "I visit with them every shore leave."
The doors opened and Trip escorted everyone out of the turbolift. T'Pol was just about to leave when T'Fer stepped in front of her.
"We must speak privately," T'Fer said before she turned and walked away.
Curious, T'Pol followed her.
Trip showed everyone their respective cabins and wished them a restful stay before he turned to T'Pol, who'd been suspiciously quiet.
"Ready?" He asked as he looked at her strangely.
"I will leave momentarily," T'Pol said as she looked at him. "I will wait and see if they need any assistance operating Earth equipment."
"Fine," Trip nodded. "I'll see you at dinner."
T'Pol nodded and watched him leave. She was just about to go to T'Fer's door when it opened and the woman emerged.
"I would enjoy a walk of the deck," T'Fer said as she started to walk away, T'Pol fell into step next to her. The woman said nothing until they were in the observation lounge.
"He doesn't know," T'Fer said as she sternly looked at T'Pol.
"Excuse me?" T'Pol inquired.
"You clearly have a bond with Commander Tucker and are blocking it," T'Fer said, annoyance edging her words.
"I don't know what you speak of," T'Pol lied.
"My telepathic abilities are in the 98.4th percentile," T'Fer explained. "He has no idea there is a bond, possibly because he is human, but you are quite aware and blocking so he won't discover it."
T'Pol shifted before the woman.
"You realize the ethical implications of…"
T'Pol's eyes widened in shock.
"I will have to report this crime," T'Fer said clearly. "The implications of a Vulcan bond with a human are far reaching, but your crime of not informing him, the weaker being, of such a bond is morally reprehensible."
T'Pol turned her back in annoyance and walked toward the window.
"You must inform him as he will have to testify at your trial as the victim in…"
"I have been waiting for it to weaken and die," T'Pol said, her back still toward the woman. "It developed 4 years ago, I denied it, then accepted it, we nurtured it, then we had a child who died…"
"The Terra Prime incident was news on Vulcan, as I'm sure you are aware," T'Fer noted.
"It hasn't died," T'Pol said quietly. "It hasn't even weakened."
"You are ethically and morally obligated by Vulcan law to…"
"I know that!" T'Pol said with a hiss as she turned to face T'Fer.
"Then why have you continued to break the law? It is illogical," T'Fer said, confused. "No Vulcan has been on trial for this crime in 11.3 years."
"We are just friends," T'Pol said as she straightened her back. "We haven't…I haven't nurtured or tended to the bond in three years, ten months and seventeen days. It should have dissolved at this point. I was merely waiting for a weak bond to…"
"Your bond says otherwise," T'Fer said. "You are clearly Aduna."
T'Pol turned her back to the woman again.
"Your illogical behaviour is most troubling," T'Fer said, annoyance edging her words.
T'Pol said nothing.
"I will file my report by 12 hundred hours, ship time," T'Fer said. "Either resolve the ethical dilemma by then, or return to Vulcan and face the charges."
T'Fer walked away, leaving T'Pol standing staring out into the abyss and wondering what she would do. She and Trip were finally friends again, he no longer seemed uncomfortable around her, these last sixteen months had been so much better for them. She'd been working so hard blocking him that she had asked Phlox for extra nutritional supplements to counter her weight loss that was a result of the mental energy expenditure. She somehow knew, in her heart, that the bond wouldn't ever weaken, that Trip would be with her for the remainder of her days and she hadn't sought a priest to dissolve. It had been highly illogical. It had also been highly illogical to not inform him that it was still present. He'd thought, for over two years, that the bond ended, and she hadn't corrected that misinformation.
And now, T'Fer. She was right in her interpretation of the situation and T'Pol's illegal activity. She had a moral and ethical obligation, under Vulcan law, to inform Trip of the bond. Especially because he was the weaker being. She should have informed him years ago and they could have sought the assistance of a Vulcan priest to break the bond. All would have been fine if they had, but she had chosen the illogical route; to keep him with her. That was a line of reasoning she chose not to investigate.
The Enterprise suddenly slowed, they had reached Kartasian space and would begin the complicated docking procedures with them in 22 minutes. T'Pol sighed, she was needed on the Bridge.
XXXX
T'Pol stood before the door to Engineering and took a deep breath. It was 11:00 hours and time was running out. The Kartashians were now on board and she had a small window to have an important discussion with Trip. She cleared her mind and prepared herself for what, she felt, would prove to be an explosive conversation.
She walked inside and noted the busyness that was unusual for this time of day.
T'Pol walked through engineering in search of Trip. She found him laying under a circuitry panel.
"Commander Tucker?" T'Pol asked him as she stood next to his feet.
"Hey, T'Pol," Trip said distractedly.
"What is the issue?"
"We blew out ten circuitry panels when we entered Kartashian space," Trip said as he pulled at some other wires. "There was a pulse that we weren't expecting."
"Is that why the lights are 20% lower in intensity?" T'Pol asked.
"You noticed, huh?" Trip asked, still not coming out from under the panel.
"I need to speak with you," T'Pol said as she eyed a nearby engineer.
"Is it vital because I'm up to my ass in…"
"It's…important," T'Pol hesitated.
Her hesitation was notable and he finished the one connection in his hand and then slid out and looked at her. She looked incredibly uncomfortable and he knew something was incredibly wrong. Trip rose to his feet and handed his scanner to a nearby engineer.
"I got as far as the Meta," Trip said before he walked ahead of T'Pol toward his office and heard her follow behind him.
They walked into his small office and he shut the door behind her. He gestured for her to sit in his chair and she shook her head in the negative.
"What's up?" Trip asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"There is a matter that has recently come to light that you need to be made aware of," T'Pol said as she stood straight and tall.
"About the ship?" Trip asked.
"No, personal," T'Pol said softly.
"Are you alright?" Trip asked, suddenly worried.
"I'm fine," T'Pol said with a nod. "It has to do with…"
The door to his office suddenly slid open and Anna Hess poked her head inside.
"You've got to get out here," Anna huffed. "They're shorting out again."
"What the hell?!" Trip snapped as he pushed past the two women and out into Engineering again.
T'Pol watched him rush to a nearby circuitry board and take a scanner off a nearby technician.
She followed behind him and looked at the scanner. Lieutenant Hess was correct, the circuitry panels were not working.
"Have you scanned the regions for…?"
"Yes, the pulse is normal for the region but our shields…ahh hell…" Trip swore as he handed the scanner back to the technician. "We need to adjust the shields to not absorb the pulse but reflect it."
"That would assist with the…"
"Come on people!" Trip yelled, ignoring her. "No one is leaving here until we're got the shields re-configured and the panels fixed!"
Trip turned and nearly bumped into T'Pol.
"I'm sorry, I want to hear what you have to say, but if it's not more important than, well, all this," he said as he gestured to the chaos that was Engineering. "Then it'll have to wait."
"Of course," T'Pol said with a nod. "Can you use my help?"
"Don't you and the Captain have to lead the negotiations?" Trip asked as he walked away and she followed him.
"Yes, but I…"
"T'Pol, we're fine," Trip said. "Go and work the negotiations."
T'Pol nodded and watched him gather his team together to explain their next steps.
She quietly left Engineering and knew the charges would be laid.
XXX
Three days had passed, and the negotiations were complete. The Vulcans and the Kartashians had agreed to several trade deals that would benefit both worlds. The Kartashians had disembarked and they were set to meet the Vulcan transport vessel in an hour. T'Pol was packing her bag, knowing that she would be required, as per the transmission she'd received this morning, to accompany the Vulcan contingent back to the planet.
She would need to speak with the Captain so he could alter the change of command. In all likelihood, as it was her first offense, she would be placed under house arrest for a period of several months. The fact that Trip was a human was the part of the equation she could not satisfactorily factor into the decision. Because he is a human, and therefore weaker and more vulnerable to suggestion, her sentence could be more severe. Or, because no Vulcan was harmed, the court may rule her offense less problematic. T'Pol would not know until she received the charges and suggested punishment.
T'Pol zipped up her bag and placed it on the floor to her room. She had very few items and, if she was going to be away for several months or years, if Starfleet even agreed to allow her back on Enterprise, someone would need to pack the remainder of her things and send them to Vulcan. She had left no personal effects that would be embarrassing so T'Pol didn't worry about some ensign being given the job.
She took one last look around to ascertain if she had missed anything and, discovering she had not, left to speak with the Captain.
She arrived on the Bridge to discover him missing.
"Where is the Captain?" T'Pol asked.
"He's doing a space walk," Travis said as he nodded to the screen at the front of the bridge. In the corner was an image of the Captain and another individual inspecting some shield panels.
T'Pol sighed. Nothing was going as planned.
"When is he due to return?" T'Pol asked.
"He's got another two hours of oxygen," Travis informed her.
"He needs to see the Vulcans…"
"He has already offered his apologies for not seeing them off," Hoshi offered. "He said you could…"
"Thank you," T'Pol interrupted. She exhaled loudly.
"I will be in the Ready Room," T'Pol informed them.
The crew nodded and T'Pol left.
She sat at the Captain's computer and composed a letter explaining the charges that had been laid against her and the fact that she needed to face those charges on Vulcan. She relayed few details as, in her estimation, they were unimportant. Finally, she apologized for leaving her service without proper notice.
T'Pol placed Travis in charge of the Bridge and asked the crew to inform the Captain she had left some information on his computer.
She went to her room and retrieved her bag, handing it to the ensign that was loading the transport vessel that would take the Vulcan contingent, and her, back planet side. Then she went to the guest quarters and greeted the Vulcan contingent and escorted them to the airlock.
"Hang on," Trip said as he jogged next to T'Pol.
"Why are you here?" T'Pol asked, annoyed.
"Jon asked me to stand in for him," Trip said, surprised by T'Pol's annoyance.
"How nice of you to join us," Minister K'Yur greeted Trip.
"Thank you," Trip nodded. "I'm glad your negotiations were so productive."
"They were," The Minister noted. "We look forward to our first shipment of Gearea."
"That's a good deal," Trip smiled at him. "Vulcan doesn't produce it, does it?"
"No, and our efforts to synthesize it have proved problematic," Wess said. "It will be helpful to have a more ready supply."
"And you are sending scientists to help them with their fertility program?" Trip inquired, noting that T'Pol was incredibly uncomfortable and wondering if he had mis-stepped in the conversation.
H'Pog nodded. "They are decades behind most societies in their fertility program."
They arrived at the airlock.
"It's been a pleasure having you on board," Trip said as he bowed slightly.
He waited for T'Pol to add to this, but she did not.
Trip turned and looked at her confused.
"Are you ready?" T'Fer asked T'Pol.
T'Pol nodded and stepped forward.
"What?" Trip asked, confused.
"The Captain will explain," T'Pol said as she waited for the Vulcans to board before she did.
"Where the hell are you going?!" Trip demanded.
T'Pol turned and looked at him and sighed. "Speak with the Captain."
She stepped on board the shuttle and the door closed behind her before Trip could say anything further.
Trip turned toward the COMM panel and called the Bridge.
"I need to speak with the Captain," Trip said.
"Trip?" Hoshi asked.
"I need the Captain!" Trip demanded.
"He's on a Space Walk still," Hoshi noted.
"Shit, I forgot," Trip sighed. "Okay, I need you to halt the release of the Vulcan shuttle."
"Halt it?" Travis asked.
"Yes, right now!" Trip demanded.
"Trip," Travis said. "It's just launched."
"Shit," Trip swore.
"Call Jon in from his walk immediately," Trip said. "I'm on my way to the Bridge."
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