— Chapter 07 —


Though none who crossed T'Pol's path would have suspected it, for the Vulcan looked as cool and poised as ever as she walked the ship's halls on the way to Lt. Reed's quarters, the warmth between her legs was noticeable now, and it would be fair to say that she was anticipating the coupling soon to come… more than anticipating in fact, for her needs were becoming more and more insistent, and T'Pol hoped that Lt. Reed would be able to quench that heat, at least temporarily.

In Hasha's name, thought T'Pol, let this coupling bring me peace for at least the remainder of this night: I haven't had a solid night's sleep since all this began.

Even now, even the act of walking weakened her knees as the warm wave of unfulfilled desire grew in intensity, for although Phlox had prematurely aborted her first pon'farr, the good doctor had been unable to stifle these powerful after currents, these impulses and desires of the Old Blood that cared nothing for logic, or restraint. Logic and discipline could only accomplish so much when all was said and done, and as things stood now, only the barest thread of control remained within T'Pol.

Within moments, T'Pol reached her intended destination, and after a brief, discreet look about as she drew closer to the man's door, T'Pol pressed the thumbprint scanner that doubled as a security device/or notification device, and since the lieutenant had disabled the door's security settings, in essence leaving it unlocked, that touch gave T'Pol access to Lt. Reed's quarters.

Stepping swiftly inside the man's cabin as soon as the door had slid aside, T'Pol activated the door's security protocol from within, lest someone should barge in on her and the lieutenant, after which she looked curiously about the cabin. Lt. Reed was agreeably private about his personal life, but nothing in particular stood out about the man's cabin, save for a floor to ceiling case which served to display three antique swords, a steel mace, a steel axe and a half dozen daggers of various design, all of Indian or Persian manufacture, guessed T'Pol, for the Vulcan was not well enough versed in such matters to speak with a certainty.

Just then, T'Pol's attention was drawn to the bathroom when she heard the noise of the shower unit being activated and the rush of water, and T'Pol took that as an invitation and began stripping, her hands trembling as she removed her clothing. Moments later, a now nude T'Pol made her way into the bathroom.

The man was clearly aware she'd entered his bathroom almost instantly, as T'Pol noticed Lt. Reed freeze briefly in his motions, after which the man reached out for the shower stall's door and pressed it open with a click. T'Pol took that act as the invitation it was intended to be. All things considered, Lt. Reed had reacted much more agreeably to her presence than Archer, for he seemed to feel no need to waste time with foreplay or small talk, something which suited T'Pol perfectly at the moment.

As soon as she stepped into the shower stall, T'Pol scented the hormonal musk of the man's arousal, and she found it sharp and clean, in contrast to the captain's cloying scent. His physique was more pleasing still, as was the sharp eyed look in the man's eyes, for it seemed that Lt. Reed was not a sentimentalist: no, Lt. Reed was a man of action.

He approached T'Pol directly and pinned the Vulcan back against the tiles while locking lips with her, and moments later she pressed the man back in her turn, for T'Pol was painfully aroused, her nipples hard even as other parts of her throbbed, and the Vulcan wasn't looking for foreplay, and she wasn't looking for romance. Malcolm spun T'Pol back against the tiles while hot water ran over them both, his hands cupping her breasts, his mouth working her breasts, and T'Pol actually growled… Her hand reached down and felt the lieutenant's excitement revealed in flesh, and she was pleased, for there was no reluctance in the man, nor hesitation, and none in her.

T'Pol altered her stance somewhat, wrapped her hands round the lieutenant's back and shoulders and lifted herself a bit, and understanding her maneuver, Malcolm helped her by placing practiced hands on the Vulcan to lift her in position, legs astride his torso, and a moment later, T'Pol impaled herself. Malcolm groaned at that, while T'Pol cried out, the sensation immediate and overpowering for them both as the man cleaved her in twain, and then the lieutenant began moving inside T'Pol roughly, driving himself at a feverish pace while pressing T'Pol against the wall. The man was rough with her, which pleased T'Pol to no end, and after less than three minutes of the man's deep thrusts, T'Pol bit down and into the man's shoulder, lest she howl in ecstasy, like a Vulcan of Old, and that bite pushed the man over the top. A dozen more thrusts, each a hammer blow, and then the lieutenant climaxed in his turn, after which he set T'Pol back to her feet.

A bit of time then, to savor the spray of hot water and reclaim their strength, and then T'Pol took the man once more, though he might have believed it to be the other way round, not that such things mattered to T'Pol: only her needs mattered in this cursed state, a state which would have been bliss with a Bonded mate by her side, yet to be fair, the lieutenant had done a capable job of satisfying her physical needs this night, and that was as much as she could hope for from the man, for she'd never once felt the whispers of anything more within the man, no hint of a possible Bond with the lieutenant.

Reflecting back on the encounter later that evening, T'Pol thought Lt. Reed to be a more satisfactory sexual partner than Captain Archer, and about par for the course with a Vulcan.

Not bad at all, thought T'Pol, as she waited for sleep to claim her. Not bad at all.


"Urunshu kor," said Trip in Vulcan, looking at V'Tesk, his assigned Vulcan assistant.

"Close," said V'Tesk. "Say it like this: urunnnshu kor, Commander Tucker. More emphasis on the n sound"

"Urunshu t'kor," said Trip, stressing the word properly now. "Got it. Thanks."

The two walked in amiable silence through a series of hallways, finally reaching the Shuttle Bay. The Vulcan construction crew had sealed up the Suurok class battlecruiser once the major components had been delivered to the interior of the cruiser, and then pressurized the ship. Now, the less dramatic but still important task began, of finishing the decks and departments, and then moving on to the smaller rooms and such. The finishing process would stretch out another six months or so, but the ship would be serviceable in two weeks, if still very roughly finished, just as Trip's assigned time was scheduled to come to an end.

"Would you like to join Liat, Kovrin and I for lunch, Commander Tucker?" said V'Tesk, finally breaking the silence. "You can practice your Vulcan with us all, and you can tell us about about your rescue of the First Monarch Kaitaama."

"All right," said Trip, "but you've already heard the story."

"Yes, but Liat has not," said V'Tesk, "and she is sure to find it quite fascinating, Commander Tucker."

"All right," said Trip. "I see that what Liat wants, she gets. Clearly, you are attracted to her, no?"

"Oh, you are being illogical, Commander Tucker, and you are mistaken," said V'Tesk, but a slight greenish tint to his cheeks, gave lie to the young Vulcan's words.

"Ohhhhkay," said Trip, after snorting a laugh. "Let's go."


It was two weeks later to the day, when T'Pol slipped quietly out of the captain's cabin a bit past 2100 hours, and headed directly to her cabin, as she wished to shower, change and eat a bit of something before she made her way to Lt. Reed's cabin at 2400 hours, for she'd been intimately associating with both men since the Enterprise had reached Denobula, and she intended to continue doing so.

A Human might have found her conduct duplicitous, for T'Pol had not informed either man of the other, but T'Pol was a Vulcan, and she was not bound by silly Human conventions. She had needs, and it was only logical to satisfy those needs. In any case, no trouble had come of it. Neither man knew of the other, and Commander Tucker was due to return in two weeks, and T'Pol meant to try the commander out. Hopefully, she would find the man satisfactory, and she could then thank Captain Archer for his assistance, and continue on with Commander Tucker, and perhaps Lt. Reed, until these cursed after effects and symptoms of her first pon'farr should pass, and she should regain control of herself.

T'Pol wondered briefly if Commander Tucker might be able to satisfy her on his own, but the data at hand was insufficient to allow T'Pol to reach any conclusion on the matter. There was no slight intended here with that thought, for none of the Vulcans she'd bedded had managed to accomplish that deed either, though T'Pol had taken three Vulcan lovers since leaving her mother's house for school, and later, during the course of her career, for it was logical to satisfy her body's needs in that fashion until she should be fortunate enough to Bond with a mate.


Two more weeks had passed, and Trip's tour aboard the T'Lek Sor had come to an end, so he took the occasion to make one last walk through the battlecruiser he'd seen built largely before his eyes, and it was a thing of beauty. Just stunning. Humans could have matched the workmanship, perhaps, but they could never have delivered this big, beautiful ship in such short order.

"I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed my stay here, Volok," said Trip, for Administrator Volok had chosen to accompany the Human commander on his last tour. "I've learned so much from you."

"That is gratifying to hear, Commander," said Volok. "I must say, I have enjoyed having you here. If ever we should have a chance to work together on a project again, make the needed sacrifices to make that happen on your end. We would turn out some impressive ships, working together in service to that end."

"Oh, yes, Volok," said Trip, nodding pleasantly to many of the Vulcans they passed through the halls, even though he'd said his good byes to many of these same Vulcans at a farewell party of sorts last night, though it had been a more solemn gathering than a comparable farewell party among Humans. "As much as I love exploring space, I'd jump at the chance to work here for a few years. I know I've only scratched the surface with what I've seen so far."

"Indeed," said Volok.

They walked on then for another thirty minutes through the various decks and halls, Trip waving occasionally to the Vulcans he'd gotten to know during his stay, making time to speak a few brief words with those who seemed to have something to say in return, but eventually, Trip & Volok made their way to one of the ship yard's Access Hatches where a Vulcan diplomatic runner waited for Trip to board, in preparation for his ride back to the Enterprise.

V'Tesk, Trip's Vulcan assistant waited by this Access Hatch with Trip's duffel bag, and Trip spoke with the young Vulcan, thanking him for his service during his stay, and after the two exchanged courteous farewells, each gave the other the ta'al, the Vulcan hand gesture of salutation, and then Trip turned to Volok.

"I guess this is it, Volok," said Trip.

Volok nodded, and the Vulcan gave Trip the ta'al, then said, "Until we meet again, live long and prosper, Commander Tucker."

Trip solemnly returned the Vulcan's ta'al, and said, "Life, peace and contentment, Administrator Volok. I won't forget you."

Volok gave a slight smile, no more than an uptick at the corners of his mouth, and Trip shouldered his duffel bag and then boarded the diplomatic runner on course for Earth, where the Enterprise was due to show in ten days. It was while still on that flight to Earth, that Trip dug into his duffel bag, to find a small two pound dumbbell which was nothing but a joke in the gym, with a note attached.

The note read: "A light weight, for a lite weight. It was good to have you aboard the T'Lek Sor, Commander Tucker. The Wolfpack."

Trip laughed, for Wolfpack was the name with which he'd christened the half dozen Vulcans he'd trained with each night in unarmed combat during his stay aboard the T'Lek Sor, and he'd found their company… agreeable. He'd miss them. They were friends now.

And though Trip wasn't there to see it, some three weeks later a StarFleet vessel docked with the T'Lek Sor and unloaded fifty vacuum sealed barrels filled to the brim with Mexican hot cocoa mix, and it would be fair to assume that thoughts of hoarding, greed and larceny must surely have crossed Administrator Volok's mind at this unexpected wealth, a gift from a new friend... but after a period of deliberation and purposeful meditation, that Vulcan did the right thing, and shared it with his people.