18. The Betazed Mission
A/N: The battle's begun, but not (yet) for our favorite couple and their distinguished guest. They are facing a different, rather unexpected challenge... How hard can it be?
A very big thumbs up to aadarshinah, who corrected the gazillion of spelling and grammatical errors, which disgraced the original version of the chapter. Thank you so much :-)
"Report!" Archer barked as he stumbled out of the turbo lift, struggling to stay on his feet as the Enterprise was rocked by enemy fire.
"Several Betazoid cruisers are under attack by two Romulan warbirds," Shran explained, vacating the big chair. "As soon as we came into scanner range, one of them attacked us."
"Damage report!"
"Minor damage so far: engineering reported several small plasma fires, but we are holding up."
"Travis, keep us at this distance, don't let them come closer," Archer instructed. "Looks like their disruptors aren't very effective at this long range."
"Aye, Captain."
"Lt. Reed, Weapon status."
"All systems green Captain, but we'll have the same problem that they have, if not worse. Even with my best shot, all I can hope for is a few dents in their hull at this distance."
"Do you have a proposal?"
"I do, Sir. It appears as if they are not trying to destroy us. I suppose they are merely keeping us busy, so the other warbird can finish off the Betazoids. What they'll do after that is anybody's guess. I would suggest we get that one out of the way. One-on-one is definitely better than facing both of them at once."
"Good," Archer replied. "Travis, get us into weapons range. Lieutenant, lay down some fire with the cannons and send them two torpedoes."
"Aye, Sir!" Malcolm and Travis answered in unison.
As soon as Travis had maneuvered them into a more favorable battle position, Malcolm fired both cannons. Before he could even fire the first torpedo, however, a cascading series of explosions rocked the Romulan vessel, started by what looked like a rather mediocre hit by phaser fire. Enterprise was rocked by impacting debris when the Romulan attacker disintegrated completely.
"Bloody hell," Malcolm muttered in a mixture of surprise and smugness.
"What was that?" Shran asked.
"Looks like that's what his buddy wants to know as well," Malcolm answered, pointing to the view screen, which showed the rapid approach of the second warbird.
"Whatever the hell you just did, do it again," Archer instructed Malcolm.
"I'll try, Sir"
Unfortunately the second warbird was hardly rocked by the cannon fire. No explosions and, therefore, no disintegrating warbird could be seen.
"Looks like we have to do it the usual way," Shran analyzed deadpan and went to assist Malcolm at the weapons console.
"You operate the torpedoes, Lieutenant, I'll take care of the cannons," he instructed as he joined Malcolm at the tactical station.
"Aye, Sir."
"Disruptor hit to hull plating," Shran reported. "Plating at 70%."
"Target their disruptors," Archer ordered and both Shran and Malcolm complied.
"One disruptor offline," Malcolm exclaimed.
"Two to go," Shran added.
"Evasive maneuvers," Archer barked as the next round of disruptor hits rocked the ship.
"Hull plating at 20%, second disruptor offline," Malcolm summarized as he retaliated the latest damage with a direct torpedo hit.
"Hull breach on E-deck," Hoshi reported.
"Evacuate the section and establish a damage report," Archer ordered.
"They're dead in the water, sir," came Malcolm's cool report after Shran had disabled the last of the Romulan's disruptor banks.
"Hail them," the Captain told Hoshi.
"Incoming answer – audio only," she replied after about a minute of trying to hail the attacker.
"I am Captain Jonathan Archer of the Earth star ship Enterprise. We are here following an emergency call of the government of Betazed. You have committed an unprovoked act of aggression against Betazed and Earth ships. We expect you to stand down and prepare to be boarded."
"The Romulan Star Empire will never stand down," came a dark male voice in return without introducing himself.
Moments later Enterprise was rocked by a massive nearby explosion as the warbird exploded in a blinding fireball. Pieces of debris smashed into Enterprise's hull, causing even more damage.
"What the hell was that?" Malcolm asked.
"A self-destruct system," Archer theorized sarcastically. "They obviously didn't want to be boarded."
"We're being hailed Sir," Hoshi reported.
"On screen."
The serene face of a dark haired female appeared. She looked almost human, with the exception of her completely black irises; she was of unbelievable beauty.
"Holy cow," Travis muttered in admiration.
"I am Princess Roxana of the Third House of Betazed, Captain of the battle cruiser El'nar. We are thankful that you arrived in time to save us from our tormentors. All of Betazed owes you a debt of gratitude."
"I am Captain Jonathan Archer of the Earth star ship Enterprise. It is our honor to be of help."
"Our government would like to meet our saviors. Do you have means to transport a delegation to the surface?"
"We have, Princess Roxana."
"Then please travel to these coordinates," she explained, while transmitting the coordinates."I shall await you there."
"Very well, we'll meet you there."
"Prepare the shuttlepod, Travis," Archer ordered with a smile and watched Travis' eagerness to comply.
X X X
Trip and T'Pol were silently enjoying a naked swim in the lake after another – literally steamy – session in the Banya. Due to her excellent coordination skills, T'Pol had learned to swim in no time and her initial fear of water was exchanged for what passes on Vulcan as enthusiasm for this activity, usually preceded by an elaborate human wellness ritual.
"I think, we should teach the lil' one to swim as well," Trip broke the silence as both glided along slowly. "I'm sure she'll like it."
"Despite having developed a certain... closeness, I do doubt that T'Pau would disrobe in your or my presence," T'Pol retorted with an elevated brow.
"That's what swimsuits have been invented for, darlin'," he answered with a chuckle. Both fell silent and T'Pol noticed the telltale signs of a Tucker in deep thought.
"So what's the Vulcans take on being naked anyways," Trip asked after a while. "You seem rather fond of skinny dipping and lying in the sun completely naked. Hell, you even bounced around topless, when we built the Banya."
"I did not... bounce," she answered in mock indignation. "You are my mate and we are in a strictly private setting. Since we frequently engage in activities that require a disrobed condition, it would be illogical to be troubled by it. Being exposed to others except ones mate or parents, however, is an extremely distressing experience for a Vulcan. Even in unavoidable situations, like medical examinations it is exceedingly taxing."
"That bad?"
"When our worlds were still in conflict, Andorians routinely used forced exposure as a means of torture."
"Guess that figures," Trip mused. "Seeing that you consider touching and your age an intimate topic. Being naked in front of strangers must be sheer hell."
"Are humans not troubled by it?"
"Depends. Some are, some aren't, I for one have no real problem with it. I wouldn't roam the city naked," Trip explained with a snicker. "But I wouldn't really be troubled if someone walked in on me in the shower or anything."
Both fell silent again as they made their way back to the beach.
As they both walked back to the house, Trip noticed a slight fidgeting. "Something wrong?"
"I experience erratic intrusions of emotions that are not mine and they appear to be not yours, either."
"Could it be that the maternal bond starts kicking in, that Torok told you about?"
"It may well be and appears to be the most logic explanation. If so, however, T'Pau appears to be in a less than optimal condition."
"What's wrong?" Trip asked, slightly panicking. Worry was painted all over his features.
"The feelings are faint and unsteady, but I notice a great sense of urgency, exhaustion and impatience."
"Sounds like someone who's tired and can't get where she's going fast enough. Yep, must be the lil' one," Trip mused.
X X X
Trip sat in his office on Jupiter station. During his leave, right after arriving on Earth, Solan and his engineering team had arrived and started to assemble the replica of Earth's Warp 5 engine, which Trip had discovered on his visit to Vulcan. He was now waiting for Solan and their first morning briefing.
The door chime announced the Vulcan's arrival.
"Come."
"Good morning," Solan greeted as he entered. The use of a human greeting showed his experience with working around humans.
"Good morning, Solan, have a seat. Tea?"
"Very well," the tall Vulcan nodded.
Setting down two cups of tea, Trip started his introduction. "First of all. As you know, my wife and I are still in the process of bonding. Jupiter station is pushing the limit as to how far I can be from her at the moment, so especially towards the end of the shift, I might zone out. I take it your people know what to do in that case?"
"All of my engineers are bonded themselves. They will immediately recognize the symptoms and know how to act accordingly."
"Very well. So how's the work going?"
"If no major disruptions present themselves, the assembly of the engine will be finished within the month. We expect the final assembly phase of Columbia to start less than 4 weeks from now."
"That's good news. How are things working out with the human team?"
"I know many of the human engineers from my time as an adviser," Solan's baritone filled the room. "I have selected my engineers very carefully to make sure that I only brought those who are experienced and open-minded enough to work with human colleagues effectively. There are no tensions or problems that I know of."
"I like the sound of that," Trip smiled as he sifted through the reports on his PADD.
"T'Kir, is that by any chance the lady who helped us during the demonstration back on Vulcan?" Trip asked after a while, pointing to one of the reports.
"Yes, she is a very capable engineer."
"That she is, by the looks of things," Trip answered admiringly. "I would like to appoint her liaison officer with Starfleet university, if you are not opposed."
"It is a logical proposal. She is most competent and it would spare me the frequent travels to Earth needed to speak with the designers, enabling me to fulfill my obligations as a team leader more effectively," Solan agreed.
"Fine, I think that'll be all for today," Trip smiled and Solan left the office.
The chime of an incoming message tore him from his thoughts.
"Hi there, gorgeous," Trip smiled as T'Pol's face appeared on the screen.
"I called to inquire if your condition is agreeable," T'Pol explained. "Since it is your first day at Jupiter station, I wanted to be sure that the distance does not trouble you."
Knowing exactly, what she really meant to say, Trip answered, still smiling. "Yeah, miss you, too, darlin'. Guess we both got a little bit too comfortable with being around each other all day."
"Is it bothering you too severely?" she asked, not even trying to rebuff his assessment.
"Quite a bit, but we have to start getting used to it. How about you?"
"I, too feel discomfort due to the separation. It is unusual to be this far apart in the first year of marriage. It is... taxing. Please make sure that you do not extend the time of your absence unnecessarily."
"Don't worry, I'll leave as soon as the shift is up. Knowing that we're still bonding, I'm pretty sure that Solan will boot me off the station personally, if I stay just a minute too long," he answered with a chuckle.
"That is reassuring to know," T'Pol retorted with a hint of tease. "T'Pau's emotional suggestions are getting stronger and clearer rapidly. It leads me to believe that she might arrive earlier than anticipated. My last seminar is finished, so I shall go to the city to prepare for her arrival."
"Like the sound of that," he smiled. "See you in the evening darlin'."
"I shall await you," she nodded and the transmission ended.
X X X
T'Pol heard the soft snorting of Vivendi and Beryoza in the backyard. It was their way of light protest against the fact that they had to leave the green stuff for the stable. But their owner was not open to negotiation as more than the customary 8 hours in the warm summer sun was a danger to their health, There wasn't much shadow to seek shelter in.
The young Vulcan stood behind the curtains of the dining room window, enjoying the view of her mate's shirtless and very well-built frame. The workout regime that he had followed ever since their wedding most obviously had a very agreeable effect on his appearance.
Her brooding was interrupted by the door chime. Opening the entrance, she looked into the faces of Major Setak and T'Pau, who, true to her earlier suspicion, was almost a day early. Motioning the Major to return to his post, she indicated T'Pau to enter.
"It is agreeable to see you, mother," T'Pau greeted with the customary V-salute.
Momentarily startled by the unexpected address, T'Pol answered. "It is agreeable to see you, as well."
Before they could continue their conversation, they heard the approaching footsteps of a man with a surprise waiting for him.
"Darlin'? I thought I heard...," Trip stopped dead in his tracks, wide-eyed, but not quite as wide-eyed as T'Pau, when she noticed his state of undress.
With two quick steps T'Pol raced to a nearby chair and tossed him a shirt.
"Sorry fer that," Trip mumbled while he quickly restored modesty, before approaching their visitor. "Hi there, hon," he exclaimed enthusiastically, before noticing the dark rings under T'Pau's eyes and her slightly slumped posture. Stopping his approach, he looked at T'Pau, then his wife and then T'Pau again.
T'Pau shot T'Pol a quizzing look that was returned by a nod. Wordlessly the young leader bridged the distance between herself and Trip and slowly, wordlessly slung her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest with a slight sigh. That surely wasn't part of Surak's teachings.
Stunned by this completely unexpected behavior, it took T'Pol's motioning him to return the gesture, before he did so. While T'Pol excused herself to the kitchen to prepare tea, Trip slowly rocked T'Pau, who remained plastered to his chest.
"That stuff was really getting to ya, wasn't it?"
T'Pau nodded, before she spoke softly. "Since Minister Soval arrived, the burden has been lessened considerably, but the weeks between his arrival and your departure have been... most taxing."
"Let's sit down," Trip whispered as T'Pol arrived with a tray, carrying the tea.
"We didn't expect you before tomorrow," T'Pol inquired, once the three had settled down.
"I asked Captain Vanik to advance to the highest safe speed of travel," she answered, prompting Trip to laugh softly.
"So you asked him to give 'er the beans, so you'd arrive as quickly as possible," Trip stated and was answered by a nod, even though she had only guessed the meaning of his colorful metaphor.
"We're glad you're here," he smiled and patted the back of her hand.
"I hope my presence here will not be too disruptive," T'Pau answered.
"You are not disruptive. Your father was awaiting your arrival most impatiently. Although he must attend to his duties on Jupiter station, he shall spend as much time as possible here. Despite the fact that we only recently returned to duty, Admiral Gardner granted me leave of absence for the entire time of your visit."
A small nod of T'Pau signaled her acquiescence to T'Pol's assurance.
"Now," Trip continued after they had finished their tea in silence. "T'Pol, why don't you take the lil' one to the meditation room, looks like she could use a bit of that. Meanwhile, I'll play engineer on the beach.
"Very well," T'Pol nodded and motioned T'Pau to follow her.
X X X
"May I ask for the motives behind your unusual gesture towards your father?" T'Pol inquired on their way to the meditation room.
"It was an impulse," T'Pau explained almost apologetically. "Father once performed it with me, when I was rescued after the shuttle accident. It had a strong calming and almost meditative effect on me. I fail however to explain why. I was sure that father would not object, I was not so sure of your approval."
"Do not concern yourself," T'Pol assured. "Close contact with Trip has the same effect on me and, since our mind meld, recently started to have its expected effect on me as well, it is no threat to our bond. Your change in addressing me, indicates that the same is true for you."
"Indeed," T'Pau agreed as the two young Vulcans sat down for a much needed joint meditation.
"Why does father refer to me as 'little one'? Using our height to distinguish us is illogical, as we are nearly the same height," T'Pau inquired, while T'Pol arranged and lit the candles.
"It is a human diminutive, usually used to affectionately refer to a child or younger sibling, even when it physically outgrew one or both parents."
Satisfied with her maternal En'ahr'at's explanation, T'Pau started her meditation, shortly after, followed by T'Pol.
X X X
A few hours after leaving his two ladies to meditate, Trip inspected the day's work. Never quite satisfied with the comfort level of his Banya, he had installed a small stasis unit and a communication view screen in the changing room.
Straddling one of the benches with a beer in one hand and a PADD in the other, he double checked the newly installed circuitry of the view screen. He was startled out of his thinking by a familiar voice.
"You were correct, mother, he did lose track of time," T'Pau spoke with an elevated brow.
Trip swung around and ejected the latest swig of beer through his nose. "Holy, moly," he exclaimed wide-eyed, after the coughing had subsided. "Now, you are a picture, hon!"
T'Pau regarded his somewhat explosive reaction with what must be the Vulcan equivalent of a shy look. "I take it you approve of my appearance?" T'Pau asked.
"That's the understatement of the century," Trip answered admiringly. T'Pau was wearing one of T'Pol's tight fitting stretch pants and one of her shirts. "It's a damn sin to hide that sort of beauty in one of those cumbersome robes o' yours."
A slight blush crept up her face in light of this praise.
"Maybe you wish to accompany me to some Earth shops tomorrow," T'Pol offered.
"That would be agreeable."
"We shall dine now," T'Pol offered. "We have brought the evening meal here."
X X X
"What is the purpose of this structure?" T'Pau asked as T'Pol showed her the Banya after their joint meal. Trip had stayed back on the beach.
"It is used for an elaborate Human ritual that strengthens ones health and improves ones appearance," T'Pol explained as they entered the main chamber.
"The front room is used to disrobe, before entering the main chamber," she continued, prompting a wide-eyed look from T'Pau. "These crude rocks are heated by burning wood or carbon. Once the air is sufficiently heated, water is poured over the hot rocks to fill the room with vapor to enhance the effect. The effects of this procedure include a cleansing effect on the skin and improved resilience against viral diseases. As I have learned, it works almost as well for Vulcans as it does for Humans."
T'Pau regarded her, still in disbelief. "Humans perform joint rituals without clothing?"
"Many humans do not share our inhibitions against the practice. Others prefer to perform such rituals with a minimum of clothing. Since I expected you to be uncomfortable with the thought of exposing yourself, I took the liberty of buying such clothing for all of us, should you wish to join us in the practice of the steam bath or swimming."
"Very well," T'Pau answered with a hint of relief. "What is it like... to swim?"
"It was very uncomfortable at first, but I soon came to appreciate it as a most agreeable activity."
"I would like to try swimming during my stay."
"Very well, T'Pol answered. "I shall start to instruct you tomorrow, when we return from the city."
"What is father doing?" T'Pau asked when they came back out of the Banya. She saw Trip propped up on a towel on the beach, staring into the distance holding a flask of the strange substance he had drunk earlier.
"It's his form of meditation. Considering that humans are not naturally drawn to meditate, it is unexpectedly effective. I sometimes join him and often have no need for traditional meditation afterward."
"Is the beverage part of the ritual?"
"Fortunately not," T'Pol explained. "It doesn't quite agree with me."
"Meaning."
"It contains a substance called ethanol. It is intoxicating and seems to have a stronger effect on me than it has on Trip. Also the taste leaves something to be desired."
"Would father object, when I join him?"
"No, he will most likely find it most agreeable. I have no objection myself. Feel free to join him, while I return to the house."
T'Pau slowly approached and laid down beside him. Slinging an arm around his body, she lowered her head to his chest and joined him in this very unconventional form of meditation.
A happy sigh of her En'ahr'at signaled that he indeed did not object to the idea of having company.
X X X
Captain Archer appeared furious. "Ensign, we were on the surface as guests of the Betazoids. I know they were more than hospitable, but was it really necessary to go that far?"
"I'm sorry Sir," Travis uttered apologetically. "I got carried away. I will accept any disciplinary action that you or Starfleet see fit."
"Don't worry about being punished," Archer answered slightly softening. "There's no law but basic decency that you have broken and, as I recall, you already accepted the resulting consequences, but trust me, the diplomatic corps will call for your head."
"I understand, Sir."
"Dismissed. Lay a course back to Earth at maximum warp."
"Aye, Sir."
X X X
The last days had been a bliss for Trip and his small family. After a shopping trip with T'Pol, T'Pau now was in possession of several articles of Earth clothing – and not of the drab variety either. Before presenting herself to Trip for the first time, she had made sure that he wasn't drinking anything, to prevent more upsets like on the day of her arrival. Her choice of wardrobe was met with even more enthusiastic approval than last time.
Just like with T'Pol, learning to swim was not a really difficult task for T'Pau and she had taken a liking to it almost immediately. Trip's theory of T'Pau having inherited T'Pol's curiosity was proven, when she admitted to T'Pol that she – late at night – had sampled the disrobed variety of the practice and found it most agreeable, but expressed doubts about such activity in the presence of her adopted parents. T'Pol had assured her to give her the necessary privacy to practice that new-found activity without the danger of either Trip or herself accidentally appearing on the scene. She conveniently omitted the fact that this in turn gave her and her mate their own privacy for some other – more substantial – activity, which likewise didn't require any clothing.
T'Pau disappeared into the Banya's changing room to change out of her wet swimsuit after another swim, while Trip – just back from Jupiter station – was engaged in his unique way of meditation. T'Pol was back in the house, preparing the evening meal.
She was nearing completion of the task and started to load the dishes in the transport container – ready to bring them to the beach – when a transmission chime disrupted her preparation. It was Major Setak. "Lady T'Pol. I regret the interruption – the human Captain Jonathan Archer wishes to see you and your husband," the burly guardsman announced and T'Pol noticed with satisfaction that the Major adhered to her wish, not to refer to Trip as her mate to prevent any discomfort. The fact that Trip wasn't around was both unknown and irrelevant to the Major.
"Let him pass, Major. He may enter without being escorted."
"As you wish, Lady T'Pol."
T'Pol opened the main entrance and awaited the arrival of her former Captain.
"It is agreeable to see you, Captain," she greeted, once he climbed the stairs.
"Nice to see you, too, T'Pol." Archer smiled. "I'm sorry about not calling ahead, we've just arrived in orbit."
"Do not concern yourself. Trip will appreciate your visit, even without prior notice."
"I hope so," he answered smilingly.
After finishing her preparation, T'Pol motioned Archer to follow her. As they were crossing the meadow, where Vivendi and Beryoza were engaged in their favorite pastime – grazing and chasing each other – Archer took in the idyllic view. This is not a temporary arrangement. Archer thought with a pang of disappointment.
Shortly before leaving the small forest behind, Archer stopped dead in his tracks. "T'Pol," he whispered.
"Captain?" she asked back in a lowered voice, inwardly chastising herself for not having warned Trip and T'Pau earlier and thus preventing the young woman from being seen in a situation that was unbecoming for someone in her position by an outsider .
"Do I see my former Chief Engineer with the leader of the High Command cuddling up to him?"
T'Pol sent a strong nudge through the bond, hoping it would reach either Trip or T'Pau, while she answered the Captains question. "It's the leader of the High Council, Captain. Your vision, however, is unimpaired."
Shaking his head, Archer resumed to follow T'Pol onto the beach. He had some questions.
Her mental nudge was strong enough to tickle the strong emphatic senses of T'Pau who made her father aware of the approaching guest. Both of them disentangled hurriedly and faced the visitor.
"Captain," Trip greeted as he regained his wits and wrapped Jon in a friendly hug.
"It is agreeable to see you again, Captain Archer."
"Nice to meet you again, too, Minister," Jon answered, pretending to have seen nothing out of the ordinary.
The four of them ate in silence. T'Pol could sense T'Pau's uneasiness about being seen by someone outside her family in rather skimpy and tight fitting earth clothing. As soon as the meal was finished, she set out to get T'Pau out of the hot zone.
"T'Pau, please assist me in returning the dishes. Your father wishes to speak to Captain Archer in private."
Trip got the clue and motioned a dumbstruck Archer to follow him and walked towards the Banya.
"I apologize," T'Pol spoke, as soon as they were out of the human's earshot. "I warned you too late, so Captain Archer saw you and your father in contact."
"Do not concern yourself. I know Captain Archer as a trustworthy man, he will not make his observation known to others."
"I will nonetheless be more cautious that there will not be any more unannounced visitors during your stay."
"Agreed."
X X X
"Father?" Archer stuttered as soon as they were inside the changing room.
Trip chucked him a beer from the recently installed stasis unit. "I'll explain Cap'n. Bit of a long story."
"You built yourself a sauna?" the Captain changed the topic, peering into the main chamber.
"Russian Banya, but its almost the same. Got a bit of time for some heat?"
"Why not, its been ages since I was in one."
"Let me fire it up," Trip explained and went to prepare the oven.
X X X
"So, care to enlighten me?" Archer asked as he sat across the room from Trip, both swigging a cool beer in the building heat of the main chamber.
"When T'Pau performed those mind melds to prove our bond, she performed some ancient adoption ritual without knowing. That way we became her step-parents, Surak-style."
"You seem to take the job rather seriously, by the looks of it," Archer smirked.
"It's not only some administrative act, like a human adoption. T'Pol even developed a maternal bond with her. Actually bits of T'Pol's and my mind were imprinted on hers, that's why she suddenly jokes with the best of them and I'm sure she's got some of T'Pol's curiosity. Looks like she also developed a knack for cuddlin'," Trip explained sheepishly.
"So that mind meld made her have some of your traits."
"Exactly, and you're right, I take that 'job' very seriously. In fact, I love her to bits."
"But don't you think you're overdoing it? She's still a Vulcan, and not just any Vulcan, so cuddling on the beach...?" Archer asked slightly bemused.
"Did you see what she was wearing?"
"Who could have missed that? I almost lost it," Archer laughed. "She looks like teenage jail bait."
"She chose that herself. And she is a teenager. If she'd be human, she'd be no more than 16."
"What? She looks young, but I would have thought she's about T'Pol's age. I spent quite some time with her in the Forge, she never struck me as an adolescent. Maybe a tad reckless and there were clearly no hairdressers in the Forge, but she never really made an immature impression on me."
"That's because she never was allowed to be a youth. You've met that Syrran fella. He and his Syrranites raised her ever since she lost both parents as a toddler. They never allowed her a proper childhood or adolescence. I do allow her to make up for it when no one's around to see it and she's loving every second of it. Do me a favor Cap'n, don' tell anyone. She's probably already in an emergency meditation with T'Pol because you saw her."
"Syrran? That guy was a lunatic. I wouldn't have trusted him to raise a dog. Figures that Surak's katra led me to the cave immediately, while this guy roamed the desert for years without finding it. Guess Surak didn't care much for a self-appointed messiah," Archer chuckled. "And don't worry, I'll not say a word," he added with an honest smile.
"Well, even High Priest Torok said that this guy and his people made a monkey's breakfast of her upbringing, so that should tell you something."
"Sure does. I must admit, you look happy, Trip."
"Ya, I am. After all the stuff that happened... Lorian... Lizzy. Hell, however inadvertent that was, I'm really happy that it happened."
"I can see that," Archer smiled bitterly. "There goes my plan to lure you and T'Pol back to Enterprise.
"Fat chance, Jon. I've got a family now and I'm sick of being shot at by everybody and his dog. I'll still go out there and test drive ships and if the worst happens and we have to go to another war, we'll both be there. But for anything else, I'll be happy to nail ships together and run the occasional diplomatic errand for Gardner."
"I doubt that. The diplomatic corps is about to implode," Archer sighed.
"How come?"
"When we arrived at Betazed, we found two Romulan warbirds tearing into the Betazoid fleet. We destroyed one and disabled the second. We took quite a beating."
"Casualties?"
"Two on E deck," the Captain sighed.
"Damn!"
"As a sign of gratitude, they allowed us to stay on the surface for a couple of days. Travis enjoyed the hospitality a tad too much and befriended and then took a roll in the hay with some Princess Roxana of the Third House."
"Ouch!"
"The Betazoids didn't wanna make an incident out of it, but their traditions demanded that the two marry and Travis blurted out his agreement immediately."
"Well, he finally had a good punch line after all," Trip chuckled.
"Yeah, with the Betazoids eager to join the Coalition, they're hell bent on making an intergalactic event out of it. They are sending out invitations to all coalition species' heads of government."
"To a… Betazoid wedding?" Trip asked warily.
"Yep, the naked variety. It took us a lot of diplomatic effort to get the Betazoids to accept any Earth diplomat, rather than the President. You can imagine now, what's going on amongst Earth's diplomats."
"Nobody's too eager to go," Trip continued before slapping his forehead. "Shit!"
"Trip?"
"Guess, which leader get's the same invitation?"
"They'll just declare it logical and go through with it," Archer offered.
"Jon, you have no idea. They consider telling their age an intimate act, what do you think it'll mean for a Vulcan to run around naked in front of a hundred or more people?"
"That bad?"
"Worse," Trip sighed and buried his face in his palms. "Just as we thought we got her to relax..."
The mood was now properly spoiled and the two men dipped into the lake to cool off, before returning to the Banya to redress. Archer soon made his exit after they had returned to the house.
X X X
"You appear troubled," T'Pol asked and embraced him.
"Where's the lil' one?"
"She is meditating. The Captain's unannounced visit has unsettled her slightly."
"Looks like she'll need a lot more than that soon," he sighed, before sitting down and relaying the Captain's news.
T'Pol looked at him in shock after he had finished. "She'll find it... exceedingly taxing to fulfill this duty."
"Try impossible, darlin'."
"It might be of help, if we accompany her. Didn't Admiral Gardner plan to send us on diplomatic missions?" T'Pol offered.
"Your theory has two flaws, darlin'. First of all, I don't think you'll find it any easier to let 'em hang out in public than she does and secondly, she's as scared of us in that respect as of anyone else. She likes skinny dipping of all things, but only when she's sure that we aren't around. We'd just be adding to her discomfort."
"I believe that we could acclimatize to being disrobed in each others presence. She is very content in your presence and she has a growing connection to me, which should help in the process. If we manage to alleviate her fear of us, we could be a vital element of support."
"You really think you can do that? I mean, even if she gets accustomed to your presence, let alone mine, you're still both going to suffer. There'll be like a hundred or more people there, not just the three of us."
"It will be extremely distressing and it will take a lot of strength, especially from you, as you will have to support both me and T'Pau. But the alternative would be either to let her suffer the distress alone or risk an interplanetary scandal. The relations between Vulcans and Betazoids have been strained for a long time and this could well be the final blow."
"Why would the Betazoids and the Vulcans not get along? You're both rather peaceful people."
"Betazoids are very strict in their expectations of adherence to their culture. They have several times extended similar invitations to Vulcan, whenever there was a royal wedding, and each time took offense when the High Command turned such invitations down. This event is even more important than all prior events and the offense at Vulcan's refusal would be even greater."
"Well don't they get a clue, that Vulcans just can't run about naked?"
"They expect us to adapt. In the same way as Vulcan expects Humans to adapt, when you are on our world. Unfortunately adaptability is something that Vulcans do not master well."
"Sounds like one helluva assignment, I'm not sure whether you two get out of that unscathed."
"It is a risk, but we have to take it, for the good of Vulcan. I shall go meditate," T'Pol explained and beat a hasty retreat.
"I'll call the Admiral," Trip sighed.
X X X
"Admiral," Trip saluted.
"Commander. What is the purpose of your call?"
"I've heard that you have a bit of a diplomatic problem at hand."
"That's an understatement if I ever heard one. How did you learn of that?"
"Had a visitor today, Captain Archer. T'Pol and me want to volunteer for this mission."
"You're taking the weight of the world off my shoulders," Gardner sighed. "May I ask, why?"
"Someone very dear to us, will get the very same invitation. And trust me, her problems make the diplomatic corps' whining look like a kindergarten."
"Minister T'Pau," Gardner deduced.
"Yes. In comparison to Vulcans, it's second nature for us to run around naked."
"You have no idea what a service you're doing for us – and seemingly for Vulcan as well. Please report to my office tomorrow. I'll make you a Captain and you'll get your diplomatic mission."
"Not complaining about the promotion, but don't feel obliged," Trip answered.
"We would have made you a Captain anyways before the trial runs of Columbia. We're just doing it a few weeks earlier."
"Thanks, Admiral. See you tomorrow."
"Until tomorrow, Goodnight Commander."
X X X
"Why are you wearing the ceremonial uniform?" T'Pol asked next morning.
"Well, darlin', I'm taking up my first diplomatic mission. Would be sorta disrespectful to go in a greasy overall, wouldn't it." Trip did his best to hide his real motive. He thought that this was a better backdrop for his fourth pip.
"Very well," T'Pol accepted – oblivious to the surprise that her mate hid from her.
X X X
"I hereby promote you to Captain," Gardner announced ceremoniously and pinned the fourth pip on a smiling Trip's collar, followed by the traditional hefty slap on the shoulders.
"Thank you, Admiral."
"We have to thank you. You are volunteering for the weirdest mission we ever had. Stay away from the west wing, all of the diplomatic corps will throw themselves at your feet for taking that one off their backs," Gardner laughed.
"Not that we're looking forward to it. But we're not going to let T'Pau suffer through that alone."
"You seem to like her a lot," Gardner teased.
"We do."
"Ok, report to Dr. Shinagawa. Room E.30. He'll brief you on anything we have about these Betazoids and he'll hand you your mission papers."
"Thanks, Admiral," Trip nodded in a Vulcan-like fashion, that he had unconsciously picked up from T'Pol, and left the office.
Gardner smiled as he watched Tucker leave.
X X X
"Any idea what that's all about?" Archer asked Shran as they were waiting for their visitor.
"No idea, maybe he is missing his engines. Lt. Hess once told me he was almost unhealthily attached to them."
"Hmpf," Archer grunted in doubt.
"Comm... uh... Captain?" Archer stammered as Trip emerged from the airlock – grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Cap'n, Commander," Trip greeted nonchalantly.
"What did you do behind my back this time?" Jon asked in mock indignation.
"Thought I'd get at least an ale outta Shran while I do the explaining," Trip smirked, pointing at his new insignia.
"Who are we to deprive the man," the battle-hardened Andorian laughed and led the way to the Captain's mess, without waiting for the formal order from Captain Archer.
"You're to return to Betazed," Trip opened as they sat down and Shran started to fill the glasses.
"We are?" Archer asked.
"T'Pol and I are going on a diplomatic mission to Betazed, accompanied by the head of the Vulcan High Council. According to Admiral Gardner, you'll take us there."
Both Archer and Shran gulped audibly, realizing what mission that would be.
"And they saw fit to send a Captain, rather than a mere Commander," Trip continued.
"How did he talk you into that?" Archer asked.
"He didn't, we volunteered. We'll not let the lil' one suffer through that alone," Trip explained and stared absently into his glass.
Only now Archer really understood Trip's determination, when it came to his adopted Vulcan daughter. Shran did not understand at all.
"Damn, Trip, you're one gutsy fellow," Archer responded.
"For my girls, I'll do everything," Trip sighed and shot back the remnants of his ale.
"Gotta go back down, I need to drop by in sickbay," Trip sighed. "And I most likely have two distressed Vulcans at home, that's bad news."
"Vulcans are bad news most of the time," Shran quipped, before being silenced by a punch to his arm, courtesy of Captain Archer.
"Shut up, all his family is Vulcan," Jon hissed.
X X X
"Hi there, Trip."
"Malcolm," Trip enthused as he was intercepted by his friend on his way to sickbay.
"Captain?" the Brit asked wide-eyed.
"Long story, Mal, but I'll tell you when there's time. Heard you're one helluva Rommy killer," Trip sniggered.
"I've got no clue, how that happened. I actually missed my target and cannoned him in some under-belly patch which had those spikes on it. Just like that the bastard exploded."
Trip stopped abruptly, eyes wide open and slapped his forehead. "Mal, I need to see the sensor logs, now!"
"Situation room," Malcolm huffed, trying to keep up with Trip, who ran towards said location.
As if he never left, Trip keyed the bridge on the com-panel as soon as he entered the situation room. "This is Captain Tucker. Captain Archer, Lt. Sato, please report to the situation room, now!"
"Cap...?" Hoshi returned in surprise, but was cut short.
"Get movin' Hoshi and haul Jon's ass with ya." His thick drawl spoke of massive excitement and both Hoshi and Archer darted off the bridge.
"What the hell?" an out of breath Captain wheezed as soon as he arrived, followed by the petite communications officer, who grinned widely at seeing Trips fourth pip.
"We might have just won the lottery," Trip answered. "Hoshi, will ya play the sensor logs from that damn Romulan drone ship, when it was uncloaked?"
"There's that patch again," Malcolm exclaimed and pointed to a number of spikes under the drone ship's belly.
"That's where you shot them?" Trip asked with a smile. "Show me the logs from the hit at Betazed, Hoshi."
"Accidentally," Malcolm explained, almost apologetically.
As Trip watched the replay of the lucky punch, he saw that the cannon fire hit an almost identical spiky patch, although it was bigger than the one on the drone ship.
"That's their weakness," Trip enthused. "Those spikes are the holo emitters they use to cloak themselves or masquerade as other ships. T'Pol showed me the diagrams and I remember seeing them, when we ejected from that drone ship."
"And they are vulnerable?" Archer asked hopefully.
"In a way. First of all, there's no plating as they have to be exposed to space and they gobble an insane amount of energy, so they have to be near the warp core. If you hit them square, they'll set off a number of explosions and the warp core will breach before they even have a chance to eject it."
"The cascading explosions!" Malcolm squealed as realization set in. "When I hit that thing, there was a series of detonations before he blew up."
"And they build all their ships that way. YES! Bingo!" Trip shouted with a triumphant fist raised.
"I'll get Starfleet command," Archer added.
"Nope," Trip interrupted. "The less people know it, the less chance of the Romulans knowing that we know."
"Do you think there's a traitor in Starfleet command?" Hoshi asked.
"Does the name Ingvaldson ring a bell?" Trip asked grimly. "I've seen horses vomit in front of the pharmacy. That may be our only advantage over these bastards. Tell Erika and Shran, Jon, they should know. I'm off. My girls're waitin'." With that Trip left without a further word.
Jonathan Archer shook his head. In a span of 30 seconds, Trip had gone from triumphant to grim and bitter. The emotional turmoil that the last weeks had hurled him into was palpable and all three remaining officers in the sit-room shared a knowing, deeply worried glance.
X X X
T'Pol was just done preparing the mid day meal, when Trip came home in a somewhat subdued mood.
Doing a double take, she walked over with an elevated eyebrow. "I believe it is appropriate to convey a congratulation." Trip leaned in to kiss her.
"You have been on Enterprise?" she asked.
"How do you know?"
"Where else would you have been exposed to Andorian Ale?" she asked back, still high-browed.
"Nothing wrong with your sense of smell," Trip chuckled. "Yeah, I was there. They'll be taking us to Betazed. Met with Phlox, too."
As he continued his way into the dining room, he was intercepted by T'Pau. "My congratulations," she said and gently embraced him. It was more than a mere congratulatory hug, so much was obvious from her slight but noticeable trembling.
"Suppose we got a transmission from Vulcan?" Trip sighed with a look to his wife. T'Pol just nodded silently.
"C'mon, hon," Trip whispered and led T'Pau to the couch. Putting his arm around her, he let her rest her head on his shoulder, hoping that listening to the steady rhythm of his heart would help to calm her down.
"Minister Soval has informed the High Council that I will prepare for the... ordeal here on Earth," she reported calmly, barely showing an outward sign of her inner turmoil.
"You're taking it better than I thought," Trip said with an admiring undertone.
"The absence of an outward manifestation of fear does not mean that I am free of it," T'Pau answered.
T'Pol had meanwhile served the meal and the three ate in silence. After finishing their meal, it was time to discuss the upcoming challenges.
"Starfleet briefed me on the Betazoids and the mission as a whole," Trip started. "It looks like the naked thing isn't our only problem. We'll have to work hard in the meantime to get you both prepared for the challenge."
"Will you not require preparation?" T'Pau asked.
"I will, but it's not even half as awkward for a human as it will be for you. I'll be well embarrassed and I'll need a medicine from Phlox to prevent any... uh, visible body reactions, but that's about it."
"Why then did the entire diplomatic corps refuse to go on this mission?" T'Pol inquired.
"Darlin', all of them are middle-aged or old people, who know that their bodies are everything but attractive. That makes them self-conscious. Its hard to expose yourself if you know that you have some... deficiencies. If you're happy with your outer shell, it's way easier. And the Betazoids have some bad habits, too. In a world where everyone is a telepath, there's no use for sugar coating things, they'll just be brutally honest and tell you what they think, which is not a good idea if you're fat or aging."
"So, you are content with your outward appearance and that eases your distress?" T'Pau asked to check if she had deciphered his drawl correctly.
"Well, if my wife's secret ogling is anything to go by, it appears that I'm not the only one, who's content with it," Trip smirked, much to the shock of T'Pol.
"I did not know you were aware of it," she gasped with a pronounced blush.
"Well, darlin' you may hear and sniff better than me, but I sure as hell have eyes in my head to see you staring at me from behind the curtain."
T'Pau watched the banter between them with amused interest.
"I apologize, I will discontinue the practice," T'Pol answered.
"Don't need to," Trip laughed, causing her blush to intensify. "Why do you think I take my shirt off all the time?"
"You deliberately expose yourself to give mother the opportunity to observe you?" T'Pau asked.
"Sure, she likes it and I know that. I'm pretty sure that's why she wasn't wearing much herself, when we built the Banya. The pleasure goes both ways," Trip smirked, while T'Pol's blush approached the Orion girl stage.
"That assessment has merit, but I do not see the logic in deliberately embarrassing me. This will not help our preparations," she protested defensively.
"And how it does. I told you that the Betazoids have a knack for being brutally honest, even if it sounds rude. And the quicker we prepare for that, by doing it ourselves, the better we will cope with it. What do you think they'll do, when we stroll in there, wearing nothing but a nervous smile? They'll be blatantly honest and tell you how damn fine you're lookin' and what part of you they like the most. In my case, I've got a very good idea what's that gonna be and I'm definitely not lookin' forward to fighting my own blush and your bond reflexes at the same time," Trip drawled with a growing uneasiness.
"I did not understand," T'Pau revealed her confusion. T'Pol decided to put Trip's proposed course of action into practice immediately, while translating for T'Pau.
"Your father believes that it will be helpful if we exposed ourselves to blunt statements of truth, even if it sounds inappropriate. Since all Betazoids are telepaths they do not censor their words. He expects that the Betazoids will assess that we are aesthetically pleasing and that they will bluntly praise the body parts that they think to be most attractive. In your father's case, he expects them to admire his substantial genitals. I agree with that expectation, although I expect a number of compliments on his muscular torso and his derriere as well. He is also concerned that such uncensored praise might trigger my instinctive defensive reflexes and cause overt manifestations of his discomfort." Now it was Trip's turn to blush - massively.
"Like this sudden change in face color?" T'Pau asked with a giggle brow.
Trip decided to retaliate. "Now, wait hon until they first time tell you what nice pair o' boobs ya carrying around," he smirked, pointing at T'Pau's chest.
"That's not gone well," Trip sighed, noticing two very green faced Vulcans and one very purple faced human at the table.
"It appears that I have underestimated the magnitude of the ordeal," T'Pol analyzed after a lengthy, awkward silence, during which everyone returned to her or his natural face color.
"Father usually has a plan, even if our logic fails us," T'Pau answered and looked at Trip in hopeful expectation.
Patting her knee softly, he explained. "You're right, I have some ideas. I spoke with Phlox today. He'll whip up some elixir, that'll help to prevent any embarrassing body reactions. It will also act as a mild sedative to help with the blushes and the apprehension. The trickiest part will to get T'Pau comfortable with our presence."
"You are planning to make a disrobed condition mandatory?" T'Pau asked nervously.
"Sort of. T'Pol likes the Banya and I'm sure you'll like it, too, and you both like swimming in your birthday suit. We're going to get you comfortable with T'Pol first. That'll be easier. So for the next days there'll be joint steam bath's for you two. I'll join in once you're no longer uncomfortable with T'Pol."
"A logical plan," T'Pol assessed.
X X X
An incoming transmission startled Trip, who was studying a PADD with information that Solan had transmitted from Jupiter station. His girls were off for 'acclimatization practice' in the Banya.
"Travis!" Trip exclaimed as he saw the face of his former shipmate appear.
"Hi, Trip. Is it true that you and T'Pol are gonna attend our wedding?"
"Yeah. We volunteered to help T'Pau. You'll have Vulcan guests for the first time."
"Roxana will be happy about that."
"You on Betazed already?"
"Not yet, I was decommissioned only a few hours ago. I'll leave tomorrow. A Rigelian courier is going to drop me off on Betazed."
"Seriously, I don't know whether to congratulate you or kick your head in for making us go through with that," Trip laughed.
"Don't think it'll be easy for me Trip, but she's worth it."
"I hope so. I'm happy for ya."
"Anything we can do to make it easier for you?"
"Would be nice to have some place, where the Ladies can hide if it gets too hard on them. For Vulcans to be seen naked in public is pure horror."
"Oh, Shit," Travis muttered. "I'll ask Roxana to do something about that."
"Something else Travis. There could be a problem if one of those Betazoids gets too honest."
"Tell me about it," Travis winced. "You wouldn't believe the things that Roxana said to me when I first dropped the pants," he giggled with a hint of embarrassment.
"That's the problem. If anyone too obviously compliments me, T'Pol's Vulcan reflexes might kick in and we're not talking about getting pissed off, Vulcan instincts are set to kill if someone chats up a Vulcan's mate."
"Is it that bad?"
"Let me put it that way. One compliment for the wrong body part and we have a casualty at hand."
"Ouch! Any way to suppress that? For the Betazoids it's just natural to be that blunt. I doubt that I can prevent it."
"Negative. We're trying to train her to give a warning before springing to action, like a sharp inhale or something, so that I can react before she maims someone. Don't hold it against us if we stay away from mingling with the other guests too much."
"I understand, Trip. Maybe Roxana can do something to prevent overly blatant praise."
"Hope so, see you soon, Travis."
"See you, Trip."
X X X
The preparations went ahead as planned. Both T'Pol and T'Pau had a hard time for the first 3 days as both were completely unaccustomed to expose themselves to anyone, but a healer – or Trip in T'Pol's case. Both noticed, however, how this strange and taxing practice did strengthen their own bond with each other. They gradually grew more comfortable with each others presence and even started to appreciate their joint steam baths and the following swim in the lake. Now it was time for Trip to join the party.
To their mutual surprise, there was absolutely no problem with his participation. T'Pau felt uneasy and self-conscious, when Trip joined for the first time, especially because he kept up his practice of relentless praising of T'Pol's and T'Pau's outer shells, but by the time of their second session, all problems were gone and the uneasiness subsided. The girls even grew accustomed to the praising and amused themselves by trying to make Trip blush with blatant compliments. T'Pau even started to join T'Pol in nude sunbathing during the day, but only if Trip had made sure that Major Setak would not admit any surprise visitors. Everyone short of Jesus Christ was to be sent away on those occasions. It was unusual for a Vulcan, but she grew to like these activities, much as T'Pol had done.
Gonna be the first Vulcans ever to get a sun tan,Trip thought in amusement.
X X X
Enterprise was on her way to Betazed. Captain Archer had provided them with the big guest quarters, which had been installed during the repairs after the battle near Betazed, while T'Pau was residing in the quarters that once belonged to T'Pol.
Heavily panting, T'Pol recovered from a very passionate bout of bond consummation. Returning from a meeting with Phlox, Trip had wordlessly stripped off his clothes and asked her the same, before launching into a very passionate intimate encounter.
"I do not complain," T'Pol wheezed, still glowing from his uncharacteristic display of almost Vulcan manliness. "May I ask the reason for this uncharacteristic course of action?"
"Well, when Phlox injects me with his medicine tomorrow, there won't be anything going on down there for at least 48 hours," Trip explained, pointing to the nether regions. "As a good mate I cannot risk that my wife is left in need. And the lil' one will be here any minute, too."
"Do you sense her approach?" T'Pol asked in surprise.
"No, but she'll be scared out of her mind about tomorrow. What do you think she'll be doing?"
"She will seek the presence of her En'ahr'at."
"Exactly. We'll probably be three in that bed tonight and that's why I wanted to care for your and my needs beforehand."
"A very logical course of action, Ashayam," T'Pol returned giggle-browed as she followed him into the shower.
True to Trip's forecast, the door chime announced a visitor, not long after they had made themselves comfortable in the bed. Expecting company for the night they had deviated from their practice of sleeping in the nude.
"Come in, hon."
"You did know that I was coming?" T'Pau asked after entering the room.
"Well, it's not that difficult to riddle you out, hon," Trip answered with a smile and patted the bed between himself and T'Pol to signal his approval to join them.
Not needing such an invitation twice, T'Pau dropped out of her robe, donned some silk pajama, which T'Pol had laid out for her and crawled up between her parents. Trembling with apprehension, she cuddled up to Trip in their now customary 'meditation snuggle'. Patiently he kept stroking her scraggly hair until she finally fell asleep.
X X X
After Enterprise arrived in orbit around Betazed, preparations were in full swing for 'the family', as the three were quickly named by the ships rumor mill. Except for Captain Archer and Dr. Phlox, nobody knew about the fact that by Vulcan law their former shipmates had adopted the Vulcan leader, but everyone with half a brain could see the deep connection between the two Vulcans and Enterprise's former chief miracle worker.
On the way to the airlock Shran forgot about Archers warning, not to joke about their upcoming ordeal and a smirking remark to T'Pau earned him a hefty grab of his collar and a furious stare, courtesy of Captain Tucker.
"You better not make an enemy of the guy, who nails together your next boat," Archer said with a disapproving look, after the shuttle had left.
"I didn't know that he was that protective of her," Shran winced, agonized by his stupid mistake.
True to his promise, Travis had made sure that the joint delegation of Earth and Vulcan had been assigned a private room adjacent to and accessible from the main hall. That would allow them to sneak away for a while, should the distress become too unbearable. Having shed their clothing, the family sat in the room, with T'Pau clinging to Trip's arm for support. A loud gong announced the start of the proceedings. "Here we go," Trip sighed, as they made their way into the main hall. T'Pau threw Vulcan protocol over board immediately and grabbed Trip's hand to hang on for dear life.
The first hour was hard. While there was no danger of blunt praising during the main ceremony, they had been ushered into a very exposed front row position in the rectangular formation around the ritual gong. Trip managed to shove T'Pau behind his back, shielding her from the most blatant glances with his hunky frame. T'Pol's composure took a heavy beating due to her exposed position. Trip's hands were in high demand, both being clung to by distressed Vulcans, who had abandoned Vulcan prohibition of such gesture.
Trip noticed that all front rows were populated by young, beautiful Betazoids. Good grief, I didn't think they'd be that blatant! What must the folks in the last row look like. He thought with a shudder.
After the conclusion of the main ceremony – Travis was now a Prince of the Third House – there was a short recess, which the family used for some much needed hiding in their assigned room. Both Vulcans clung to him in a desperate family hug, as Trip tried to calm down his wife and his lil' one. Roxana had caught a glimpse of them almost fleeing the hall. Quizzing Travis about it, he reminded her, what sort of distress the Vulcans endured in their honor.
T'Pau was suffering. T'Pol was distressed but not nearly as heavily as the young leader of the High Council. Despite her own struggle, she could sense the lifeline that her very presence threw to her adoptive daughter. Just knowing that she wasn't the only Vulcan in this struggle kept T'Pau from breaking down.
The meal was less troubling. Travis had managed to have them seated at a more remote position, saving them from the many glances of the other guests. Being excellent hosts, the Betazoids had made sure that all alien guests were presented with food that was acceptable in their native culture. Wine was served with the next course and Trip cautiously sampled its alcohol content. Two distressed Vulcans was bad enough – two drunken Vulcans would be too much.
After two glasses Trip noticed that T'Pol eased up slightly. She still clung to his hand, but only in a normal fashion, rather than trying to break it. T'Pau, however, still held on firmly – painfully firmly.
After completion of the meal, the hardest part began – mingling with the other guests.
"Trip," Travis called out as he approached them with his newly wedded wife.
"Princess Roxana," Trip greeted and nodded politely.
"We are honored to have Vulcan guests for the first time," Roxana answered, "especially of such extraordinary beauty."
"The people of Vulcan are honored as well," T'Pol returned, summoning all of what was left of her composure. Trip's hand had to pay the painful price.
"I am pleased to see that both Vulcan and Earth have sent two of their most exciting specimens to honor us," Roxanna launched into the danger zone, with Travis' face expressing a distinct worry, "Captain Tucker, you will surely produce very impressive offspring with that equipment," she finished with a smile, looking blatantly at a region, that T'Pol was very protective of.
A sharp inhale announced trouble. Trip grabbed T'Pol's arm forcefully, while Travis, at the sound of the signal that Trip had briefed him about, quickly drew his wife out of sight.
"What is wrong?" Roxanna asked, confused about the situation.
"You're forgetting whom you speak to. They're no Betazoids. You just talked about offspring to two people who lost a child a few weeks ago," Travis fumed, making his wife's eyes go wide. "And you made a blatant overture to a Vulcan's mate. There's no stun setting on their protective reflexes. I didn't marry you, just so you get yourself killed during the ceremony. I thought you had understood that, when I explained it."
"We should inform the other guests. I will assure that they know."
"How? You want to make a public announcement?" Travis asked, still angry about the blunder.
"Yes, Betazed style."
A telepathic call out made all the alien visitors look at the newlyweds while Roxanna briefed them on the situation. As all glares went over from Travis and his wife to them, Trip knew, it had something to do with them. He visually checked on the faces of his two girls and both didn't look too happy. Trip winced when he saw T'Pau's eyes go moist. Having 200 people look at you is not very convenient at the best of times. If you're stark naked and scared witless already when it happens, it can break the best.
"Betazoids are strong telepaths. I have no doubt, she has warned them of me," T'Pol whispered.
The effect of the telepathic announcement was obvious. The pair of them was approached by other guests, but they carefully avoided any praises and most guests focused on T'Pol to avoid upsetting her by addressing her mate. Trip had a slight feeling of being ignored, but he preferred that massively over having to keep his wife from mutilating other guests. In addition to that, he had his hands full, literally, with T'Pau. She had avoided most of the interaction, by walking behind Trip and T'Pol, desperately clinging to his hand, which by now had several bruises. A highly distressed Vulcan was obviously utterly useless at controlling her strength, especially a very young one. T'Pau was in very bad shape. The hall was well-heated by human standards, but rather cool for Vulcans. Trip had noticed slight goose bumps on T'Pol's arms, yet T'Pau had several beads of sweat showing on her forehead and Trip knew, it was time to get out of there.
Catching a glance of Travis, Trip made a subtle head movement, hinting him to come over.
"Trip?"
"Listen Travis," Trip explained in a low voice, "The lil' one's had it. Any longer in here and we'll have a medical emergency at hand."
"It's ok, Trip. The first guests are leaving anyway. I'll tell Roxanna, that you had to leave urgently and couldn't say g'bye."
"Thanks, best luck to you two."
"Thanks, the best for you, too."
As soon as the family was back to their room, Trip crouched down with a pained groan, rubbing his hand, which was showing blueish-violet bruises all over the fingers and the palm. During the last minutes out in the hall, T'Pau had almost broken his hand. She was sweating and had tears in her eyes, a sure sign that she had reached critical mass. His wife wasn't in good shape either. Her nostrils were flaring and her body trembled from the emotional onslaught. He helped the shaking T'Pau get clothed, carefully avoiding to brush any sensitive parts. Another reflex whistle was the last thing he wanted to put upon his wife. Aware of this, alarmed by strong waves of extreme wariness in the bond, T'Pol had turned away as a precaution. After he got himself back into his uniform, he took each Vulcan by the hand to get them out of there. T'Pol carefully took the side where the bruised hand was, to avoid further damage, since T'Pau could not be trusted to regain control over her strength. In fact halfway to the shuttle he had to carry her, because she had started to shake badly and her knees didn't carry her anymore. Getting T'Pau to sickbay had become a race. Inwardly Trip started to whip himself for having tried to get her trough it, rather than just preventing her from doing it. After all there must have been a logical reason, why Vulcan had declined to attend for half a century.
X X X
Captain Archer was waiting at the airlock alone. He had left Shran behind to keep the big chair warm, since he didn't look forward to more of Shran's misplaced jokes.
As the airlock hissed open, T'Pol darted out, ignoring Archer completely and sped off towards their quarters. Archer looked back to see a very shaken Trip, tears in his eyes, carrying the passed out head of the Vulcan High Council.
"I should never have let them go through that.", he pressed in self-reproach and walked off towards sick bay. Archer followed him, but could not think of anything useful to say to his friend.
"Ah Capt...", Phlox stopped his happy greeting as soon as he saw the cargo, which Trip carried to the biobed. He started hovering the scanner all over her, as soon as Trip had put her down.
"Captain, you are impeding my scans, you must let go of her."
Archer shook his head lightly at the sight of Trip's protective stance. The doctor almost had to pry his hand from T'Pau's. Trip looked like being ready to jump the doctors throat, should he make any wrong move. Whatever happened down there, it hadn't been pretty.
"She has suffered a neurological shock, she must have been in extreme distress and I can imagine why," Phlox analyzed .
"Well, I sorta know my way around Vulcans by now, so I saw when she'd had it. It's not every day that ya see tears on a Vulcan. When I saw them tears, I jus' made sure we got the fuck outta there...", Trip sighed sadly. His hideous drawl and the ripe language was a sure sign of Trip being in turmoil. Archer became even more worried.
"Don't worry Captain, you took the right decision, on both accounts.", the Doctor reassured, guessing Trips doubts about whether or not it was a smart move to go down there in the first place.
Tending to Trips hand the Doctor inquired about the injury.
"Well, a Vulcan girl hold'n ya hand can get fuckin' rough when she's scared shitless." Phlox was taken aback. He had never heard Mr. Tucker use that many strong profanities before. It was evident that the human was deeply troubled.
"You shouldn't have allowed that, you are very fortunate that it is only tissue damage," Phlox lectured.
"Couldn't take the last bit o' protection from ma lil' girl," Trip answered softly and his head dropped in sadness as tears began to flow..
Exchanging a glance with a choking Captain Archer, Phlox, now fighting tears himself, whispered admiringly to himself "I wish some biological fathers would be that devoted to their offspring, Mr. Tucker."
"I will keep Minister T'Pau here until the morning, you may-" Phlox started aloud.
"Will she need any medication?" Trip interrupted sternly, nostrils flaring, his face tear-stained but determined.
"No, but she..."
"Then I know exactly what she needs, thanks Doc. We'll call ya, when she wakes up," Trip said and turned to leave sickbay, carrying his Vulcan daughter away.
"Captain," Phlox called softly after him. Trip stopped. "Transmit a scan every two hours please," the Doctor added with an encouraging, but teary Denobulan grin and slipped a small scanner into Trip's pocket.
With that Trip left sickbay without a further word.
Noticing Archers stunned and confused look about how Trip had just dismissed the Doctor, Phlox explained. "Never get in the way of a father, especially if he is as devoted and stubborn as Captain Tucker." The Denobulan retrieved a tissue to wipe the moisture from his eyes.
X X X
T'Pol shot up from her meditation cushion as soon as she heard the door open. Noticing Trip's messed up face, she looked at him with concern. "Is she well?"
"She'll be," Trip answered and put T'Pau down on their bed. He laid down beside her and rolled her over, so that her head rested on his chest.
"Join us T'Pol?"
"No, I prefer to spend the night in meditation. Please help the little one." She didn't notice the teary smile on his face, when she used his favorite diminutive.
X X X
Phlox did not believe, what he saw on the screen. Just minutes earlier, the 5th transmission of T'Pau's vital signs had arrived from the guest quarters. By all he knew, the improvement in Minister T'Pau's neurological activity would mean that she had spent the 10 hours, since Captain Tucker had carried her out of sickbay, in intense meditation. But there was the little fact that she was unconscious, which riddled the good Doctor. How could she meditate while being unconscious?
His thinking was interrupted by T'Pol, who darted into sickbay. "She's waking up, Doctor and she is in pain."
"Unsurprisingly," Phlox returned, grabbed the medical kit and ran after the Vulcan.
As Captain Archer neared a T-junction, he was almost run over, when Phlox and T'Pol sped around the corner in full gallop. Doing an about-face, he set off in pursuit, wondering why T'Pol hadn't just com'ed the Doctor.
"I don't think that I've see something like that before," Phlox said as he entered their quarters. T'Pau was lying almost on top of Commander Tucker, with his arm slung around her protectively. A faint groan was proof of her pain.
Archer quickly closed the door to prevent any passing by crewmen from seeing the Vulcan Minister in such a situation. T'Pol shot him a grateful glance.
"It is a... frequent event. This form of contact has a... meditative effect on Captain Tucker and T'Pau," T'Pol explained.
"That explains a lot," Phlox returned and administered a hypospray that sent T'Pau back into an unconscious slumber. Trip shot him an enraged death stare.
"I apologize, Captain Tucker. Minister T'Pau was not meant to wake up so quickly. She needs at least 24 hours more to recuperate and I suspect you prefer her to be here rather than sickbay."
"Sorry, Doc," Trip muttered and his exhaustion was palpable.
"You have not slept, have you?"
"Who do you think did the scans, doc," Trip replied weakly.
"It would be advisable to move both of you to sickbay. While your contact is obviously very conductive to Minister T'Pau's recovery, we cannot risk further exhaustion on your part."
"I will transmit the scans," T'Pol interrupted. "I was unable to do so, since I required several hours of meditation, but I am sufficiently recovered to do that now. This will allow Captain Tucker to rest."
Trip didn't notice any of that as he had already passed out into a deep, dreamless sleep. Doctor Phlox would have had preferred a scan that wasn't impeded by Captain Tucker's vital signs, but he could not bring himself to ask that the entangled pile of father and daughter be separated. Smilingly he left the quarters, followed by Captain Archer.
"Why didn't T'Pol just call you?" Archer asked with a puzzled look as they walked back to sickbay.
"In her current state, high-pitched sounds like the chirp of the communication device would have been extremely painful for Minister T'Pau. T'Pol knew that."
"Will she be OK?"
"She will, in fact she will recover quicker than I imagined. Captain Tuckers' therapy might be nothing you will find in a Vulcan text book, but it is more efficient than any therapy that I can offer."
"Yeah, Trip has always been a miracle worker," Archer replied smiling, hiding the sadness that built up in him. He really missed Trip as his best friend.
X X X
"You appear well, despite the ordeal," Soval droned as he and T'Pau walked through the long corridor of the Vulcan High Council.
"I suffered a neurological shock, but I have recovered."
"Did a Vulcan healer confirm this diagnosis? It usually takes far longer than 3 days to recover from such a trauma," Soval inquired with a confused look.
"Doctor Phlox made that assessment. As father is fond of saying, he 'mops the floor' with any other healer. Father must know, since he was Doctor Phlox' most frequent patient during his time on Enterprise. I see no logic in doubting his diagnosis."
"Very well," Soval returned, hiding his amusement about T'Pau's use of human humor. "I believe you will find the latest communique from Betazed most agreeable."
"Explain."
"The Betazoids expressed their regret for the discomfort that you endured to honor their traditions. They have made it known, that on future occasions, they will not take offense if alien guests leave the premises after the formal ceremony. They also assured us that Vulcan guests will be positioned in... less exposed positions," Soval explained and his puzzled look conveyed the unspoken question, what that was all about.
"Evidently the Betazoids perceived the forms of my En'ahr'at and mine as aesthetically appealing and therefore positioned us in a very exposed position at the front of the audience."
Soval gasped slightly, but quickly regained his control.
"Fortunately, father managed to place me behind himself, shielding me from the most inquisitive looks. A maneuver that you are well familiar with, if memory serves me right, Minister. Your frame might be substantial, however your height is not. I saw father and mother exchanging their Ozh'esta in the High Council."
An amused eyebrow lift was all she got for an answer.