Chapter 13

=/\=

September 5, 2154 (BTP)

Hoshi had forgotten how much she loved—being. Ever since the headaches had stopped, she had a whole new appreciation for the mundane aspects of her life. For instance, having the lights on. Hoshi gazed around her room; she couldn't remember the last time it had looked this warm and inviting. Until lately, it had been serving as both a prison and a sanctuary.

Food had a whole new meaning too. Rather than eating only the blandest foods she could find, Hoshi had started eating some of her favorite foods again. Just last night chef had ended up making one of her favorites, Miso soup, and to top it off, she had had a piece of chocolate crème pie. Hoshi smiled at the thought. As far as food went, that had been the thing she had missed most, chocolate.

Finally, the thing she noticed the most was that work was no longer a chore. She enjoyed it again and felt she had nothing to hide. She didn't have to worry every day that she would pass out on the bridge or make some terrible mistake because she couldn't focus. That was one thing that had become very clear to her recently. She had been delusional to think that her condition hadn't been affecting her work. Yes, she had reported to her station on time every day she had been scheduled, but showing up promptly was the most impressive thing she had done in months. After looking back on some of her reports and notes, Hoshi could tell that she had fumbled with languages that shouldn't have been any problem at all. This obviously hadn't been as noticeable to anyone else, but mostly that was because they thought she was a genius when it came to languages. If she said it was hard, then it was a difficult language. End of story. They had noticed other things, though. Her mood primarily.

After her shift today, she had been riding down to the mess hall with Travis. "I was starting to get worried about you," he had said. "You've seemed kind of distant lately." Hoshi had just smiled and assured him that everything was okay, and for the first time in a long time she meant it. After thinking things through, Hoshi came to the conclusion that the only person she had been fooling had been herself, and Phlox apparently, but that was a different matter. Even though they hadn't known what it was exactly, people knew something was wrong. This point only seemed to confirm what she already knew: this ship, these people, they were her home and her family.

Hoshi glanced at the chronometer; it was 2227. She had an early shift tomorrow and she was tired. Hoshi went to her bathroom and turned on the sink, running the water until it was a nice warm temperature. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, then changed out of her clothes and put them in the hamper next to her shower. Donning her soft robe, she stepped out of the bathroom, flipping off the light as she left and was about to slip into bed when she noticed the light on her computer blinking, indicating that someone was calling her. Curious as to who would be trying to contact her at this hour, Hoshi pushed the receive button, letting the channel through. As soon as she saw who was calling her, the smile that had been permanently plastered on her face for the last couple days faded. "No."

=/\=

Present – on Deuterium Miner's Planet January 19, 2155 (ATP)

Archer always waited for the impact that came with setting a shuttle down, but when Travis was at the helm, it never came. Archer smiled; that kid was amazing. Travis powered down the engines and opened the shuttle door, revealing the familiar surroundings of the deuterium facility they had visited so many years ago. It looked much better than it had then, now that they had had a number of years of peace from the Klingons, but Archer could see recent damage. He assumed it was from this new group of Klingons that had decided to take advantage of these people.

Tessic was standing only a few yards away from the set down point. Archer immediately went over to greet him; Trip, Malcolm, and Travis followed behind him.

"Tessic." Archer extended his hand. "It's good to see you again."

He took it firmly and shook it. "I agree, my friend."

Tessic led them to a small compound which was much nicer than the ones that had been there the last time they had visited. "Please, sit down." Tessic motioned to a number of chairs sitting around a small table. Everyone sat down except for Tessic. "Before we start, would you like anything to eat or drink?"

Archer shook his head. "No, thank you."

"All right, then."

Travis handed the Captain, four PADDs, two of which Archer handed to Tessic. "Even though our ship is relatively large, we can't bring everything and everyone at once. So we're going to make two trips," Archer began. "So we need your people to disassemble all of the machinery. I have a group of engineers standing by to help you with whatever you need. The smaller pieces we can beam onto the ship, but anything too large to transport, we'll have to take up in the shuttle."

Trip intervened, "I gutted our other pod of any on the nonessential systems and modified it so that it can hold larger pieces of equipment. It should only take about three days to get everything up."

Archer went on: "We also have room for ten people to come with us on the first round. I suggest that you send the people who know the most about the machines. Once we get to the new location, there will be a group of Starfleet engineers waiting to help them reassemble the machines. Once we drop them off, we'll come back here and get everyone else, along with all of the portable structures."

Tessic nodded. "All of these buildings can be disassembled. They actually were never meant to be permanent."

"Okay, great. Once we get everyone to the new location, we'll stick around until you get all set up. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, what about the people you're leaving here the first trip? What if the Klingons come back?"

Archer nodded to Malcolm to answer the question. "I've chosen a group of men to stay with the people we're leaving behind, along with a cache of weapons. It should be more than adequate to protect yourselves. But it's really beside the point since we should be back before the Klingons said they would return."

Tessic nodded, "All right. You helped us once. I trust you'll be able to do it again. My people are in your debt."

"No, they're not. This is an alliance, my friend," Archer assured him.

Tessic smiled. "Agreed. Let's get started."

=/\=

Present – On EnterpriseJanuary 19, 2155 (ATP)

It was late. Trip had spent the day helping the miners disassemble their machines, so he was tired, but he knew if he wouldn't be able to sleep until he had resolved some of the things floating around in his head. When he got to T'Pol's quarters, he paused briefly in front of the door, then changed his mind and walked into his own. It felt different being there since he had practically moved into T'Pol's quarters. The room had an unoccupied feeling to it: the bed was too tidy, and the closet was empty. But at the same time the emptiness gave him a good place to think. Ever since T'Pol had told him that she had to go back to Vulcan, they had pretty much avoided the topic. Despite this, it was all Trip could think about.

The two had become so close in the last months that it was hard to imagine going for such a long period without her. In fact, they hadn't been apart from each other for more than a couple of weeks in the past four years. Of course that was true of almost anyone who had been on the first mission.

But six months.

Trip sat down heavily in his desk chair and took off his boots. He knew she had been thinking about it too. He could feel it. He was still getting used to the bond, and he could feel it getting stronger all the time. But sometimes he would feel things and then realize they weren't his feelings at all. It could be a strange sensation but it was something Trip was getting used to, not to mention it was an insight into T'Pol that he thoroughly appreciated. Another thing was that he seemed to always subconsciously know where she was, for instance now; she was standing outside his door. Trip got up and opened it; he smiled when he saw her face.

"You wanna come in?" he asked.

T'Pol nodded her head and silently entered the room. "You were not in my quarters, and you seemed…unsettled about something. I thought it would be best to see if there was anything you wanted to talk about."

"I think you know what I want to talk about."

T'Pol nodded solemnly. "I am as reluctant to leave as you are to let me go. But there is little we can do about the situation. It would be best just to accept it."

"That's the thing though, T'Pol, I don't want to just accept it. I would do just about anything to keep you here with me. I love you T'Pol. There's got to be something we can do…" Trip felt a shadow of something pass across his mind. "What?"

"It was nothing."

"No, I felt something. Tell me."

T'Pol looked conflicted, as if she was arranging her thoughts, but finally she answered, "There is one way I could stay; however, it is not a decision to be taken lightly."

"It's like I said, T'Pol," he said determinedly. "I would do just about anything."

Trip felt anxiety for a brief moment and decided it was a feeling the two of them shared. "Even become my bonded life mate?"

Trip remained quiet for a moment. "That's the condition? We have to get married?" T'Pol nodded her head silently. "Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" T'Pol didn't say anything. Trip seemed to realize something. "Unless, you don't want to…"

"No, that's not it at all."

"Then why?"

"I did not want you to feel forced into a situation that you were not entirely comfortable with. In the beginning, you seemed unsure of our relationship. I was uncertain how intense those feelings still are."

Trip smiled and took T'Pol's hand. "T'Pol it should be clear to you by now that I'm not going anywhere. Even if there wasn't any way for you to stay, I'd still be here waiting for you six months from now." He abruptly let go of her hand and went over to his desk, opened one of the drawers and started rifling around. Seemingly unsatisfied with what he had found, he opened the next drawer and looked through it.

T'Pol watched him for a moment, trying to figure out what it was he was doing, and how it applied to what they were talking about, but quickly gave up. "Trip?"

"Mmhm."

"What are you looking for?"

Trip shot an excited smile at her then went on to the next drawer. "It's a piece of one of the first engines I ever fixed up at my first post. I was the third engineer to look at that engine and I fixed it in fifteen minutes. It was kind of a turning point in my career. People stopped looking at me as a kid from the boonies that happened to accidentally stumble into Starfleet. I've held on to it as kind of a good luck charm, I guess."

T'Pol was silently going through her head as to how this was relevant. Trip had a tendency to jump from topic to topic, but usually refrained from doing so when the subject was this serious. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you looking for this?"

Trip grabbed something from the bottom of the last drawer. "Found it," he exclaimed.

T'Pol watched silently as he put whatever it was in his pocket. Perhaps his perplexing behavior was some sort of nervous reaction to the topic of marriage, she thought, a bit disappointed.

Trip faced her again then abruptly dropped to one knee.

T'Pol's confusion was now evident on her face.

Trip shrugged. , "It's an earth custom." He took her hand in his and kissed it.

Suddenly, T'Pol understood what this was. She had read about it some time ago when she had been studying Earth cultures.

This was a Human marriage proposal.

=/\=

Present – On EnterpriseJanuary 19, 2155 (ATP)

Archer was sitting in his too-quiet quarters when the communicator beeped. The Captain moved Porthos off his lap, and answered the call.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Ensign."

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, but you said to tell you when Mr. Tessic set up the roster and inventory information, and we just got it. Do you want me to send it through to you, sir?"

"Yeah, go right ahead Mr. Hunt."

"All right, sir. Have a good night, sir."

Archer cut the communication and smiled. Noobies were so formal all the time. He shook his head. All it would take would be a couple of weeks for Ensign Hunt to get adjusted… or have lunch with Trip. Soon enough, he would fit in just fine.

Archer moved over to his desk and opened the information. All of the equipment would be a tight fit, but he was sure Trip would find a way to take it all at once. At that, his thoughts wandered to more personal things. Trip had seemed distracted lately. Archer had wanted to talk to him, but they had all been so busy lately. That's no excuse, he reminded himself. It seemed to him that he had never completely repaired the damage done to their relationship in the Expanse. But of course, maybe we both have just changed. Yes, they still had dinner together and talked. But it seemed more like they were clinging to a tradition of something that had been. There just wasn't that connection anymore. It's your own fault. He had let the Expanse consume him. Archer sat silently for a few more moments than shook the thoughts from his head.

They had enough room for the group of engineers coming to stay – Hoshi had seen to that – so really all that was left to do was get everything and everyone on the ship.

Archer rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at the chronometer; it was 2316. He flipped off the computer and turned off the light before he went to sleep in his too-quiet room.

=/\=

Present – On EnterpriseJanuary 19, 2155 (ATP)

Trip began, "It's been pretty clear to me for long time that we belong together. I honestly can't imagine my life without you in it. You're the person I trust above all other people, and I know that I'll love you for the rest of our lives." He stood up and took out the small, dark, thin, metal band he had put in his pocket only minutes before. "T'Pol, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Trip felt something close to excitement rush through the bond.

"Of course," she said softly.

Trip slipped the band onto her finger, then smiled. "I can't believe it fits. I guess it really is lucky."

Trip kissed T'Pol briefly, then led her over to the bed where they both sat down. "Now we're going to have to tell Jon as soon as possible, and we'll need a Vulcan priest, of course that's assuming you want a Vulcan wedding."

T'Pol nodded her head. "Yes, but what do you want?"

Trip smiled broadly. "I wanna marry you. I'm not real concerned with the particulars."

"Then I will contact the family priest."

"All right, and of course," he said, taking her ring hand again, "I'm going to have to get you a proper ring."

T'Pol pulled her hand back protectively. "What is wrong with this one?"

"Well, it's not a ring, for one. It's an old compressor strip for an impulse drive. I just wouldn't feel right not giving you a nice ring."

T'Pol looked at her hand thoughtfully. "I believe I am partial to this ring."

Trip gave her a strange look. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, this had meaning to you, correct?" Trip nodded in agreement. "And it's a piece of something you love. I believe it represents you very nicely."

Trip laughed. "All right, if you like it."

"I do," she said finally, as she ran a hand through his hair. "Very much."

Trip felt where T'Pol was going and gently took her hands and held them in his. "There are still some things we need to talk about." T'Pol took her hands back and gently pushed Trip onto the bed. She pulled the zipper on his jumpsuit down from his throat to his waist and pulled his arms out of the sleeves. "We will discuss them later." She unzipped her own suit from the back, pushing it down to her waist. "It seems a great deal of time has opened up that was previously unavailable to us."

Trip was finding it difficult to disagree. So he didn't.

=/\=

September 5, 2154 (BTP)

Evan's face looked back at her. He looked much harder than when they had first met. That seemed so long ago.

"I'm so sorry, Hoshi."

Hoshi's eye's filled with tears. "They've figured out how to do it?"

Evan just nodded his head.

"You said that you would contact me…" Hoshi said frantically, "Give me some way to help you sabotage them."

"Hoshi, I've been trying. For months I've been trying. It's more difficult than I originally thought it would be. Paxton arranges things so that no one knows what anyone else is doing. Only people at the top know how everything works, and so far I haven't had any luck getting close to any of them."

"Well, what do you know?" Hoshi demanded.

"I know that Susan is a lot higher up than I originally thought. She's definitely in Paxton's inner circle. And I know that they haven't perfected the cloning process, yet."

"What do you mean?"

"The first attempt died after a couple of days. Since then, though, they only got better. This one has been alive for almost two months."

Hoshi closed her eyes. "Evan, how many has there been?"

"You don't need to know that."

"Tell me."

Evan shook his head. "No."

Hoshi was silent.

"I need you to know that I'm really sorry about how everything turned out. I got you involved in something that just got completely out of control. I know that apologizing isn't going to change anything, but I do recognize that this is my fault."

"I should have known from the beginning."

"There was no way you could have."

"I knew what I was doing was illegal. It should have stopped there."

Evan knew what she was saying was right. He had done the same thing. He had done things, things he knew were wrong, because he had believed in the cause. "Listen, I won't be able to contact you again after this. I'm getting into something, and I'm going to have to be more careful."

Hoshi nodded her head.

"I'm working with… an organization. Hoshi, I guarantee you that if anyone can help me take down Terra Prime, it's these people."

"What about Trip and T'Pol?"

"You can't tell them without incriminating yourself."

"I don't care; maybe they can do something about it."

"Hoshi, we have an entire resistance movement working against Terra Prime. So far we haven't gotten very far, and we're all familiar with the organization. Starfleet has written off Terra Prime as a small group of zealots. They have no idea how far they reach. Even if you knew where they were and told Starfleet, they wouldn't be able to stop them. Terra Prime has people everywhere, and they're always one step ahead."

Hoshi ran her hands through her hair. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"You have information; you'll recognize what's happening before everyone else. Guide them in the right direction. Take every opportunity you have to right our wrong." Evan looked behind him and nodded to someone off the screen. "I have to go." He looked like he was about to cut the transmission when he changed his mind. "Hoshi, don't let this destroy you. Everyone makes mistakes, and I knew the moment I met you that you're a good person. Maybe, I'll see you again when this is all over." Evan smiled sadly at Hoshi, and then turned off the screen.

Hoshi got up, staring at the screen. This was it. Everything she had hoped wouldn't happen was happening. Hoshi paced back and forth and breathed deeply, trying to get the sick feeling out of her stomach, trying not to cry, because if she did that it would make this real. Finally, she put on her running shoes and walked to the gym.

When she got there, it was empty. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 2338. She remembered that before Evan had called her, she had been getting ready to go to sleep. Somehow that seemed so long ago. She didn't even bother stretching before she got on the treadmill. She just cranked up the speed and ran.

"Do you always work out this late?" Malcolm called from across the room.

It was all Hoshi could do not to fall off the treadmill. She was thirty minutes into her run and wasn't focusing on much of anything else except for her breathing. She hadn't even heard him come in. Hoshi turned the treadmill down to a moderate jog.

"Do you?" she called back, irritated with the interruption to her workout, despite who it was.

"No, I don't. Tonight is an exception."

Hoshi kept on jogging.

"Hoshi, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said curtly. "As a matter of fact, I'm done." She stepped off the treadmill. "It's all yours, if you want it." She grabbed the towel off the treadmill and wiped off her face while walking past him. Before she could leave, he grabbed her wrist. Hoshi almost yanked away but stopped herself. "What?"

Malcolm searched her eyes. "I need a sparring partner." Hoshi looked at him blankly. "And you seem like you need to blow off some steam."

Hoshi took a deep breath, then pushed it out through her lips. "Fine." Hoshi threw her towel back over the machine, then took a stance on the sparring mats.

Malcolm threw the first punch, which Hoshi nimbly blocked and landed a light jab to the ribs. Malcolm seemed slightly surprised by her speed, but didn't say anything. After that, Malcolm moved faster. For fifteen minutes they sparred, a flurry of movement back and forth. It looked more like a dance more than anything else. Everything one threw, the other blocked, neither one quite landing anything. The more this went on, the more frustrated Hoshi seemed and the more aggressive she became. Finally, she caught Malcolm's arm and pushed it away.

"Stop it," she demanded angrily.

Malcolm, breathing deeply, interlocked his fingers and rested them on top of his head. "Stop what?"

"You're pulling everything."

"What do you mean?"

Hoshi threw up her hands. "I mean we've been going at it for fifteen minutes and you haven't landed a single punch."

"All right, what do you want me to do?"

"I WANT YOU TO HIT ME," she shouted.

Malcolm let his hands drop, his brow creased into a look that was a mix between confusion and concern. "Hoshi, what…"

"Fine," Hoshi huffed. She grabbed the towel off the machine again and left. She half expected him to follow her out, but that wasn't how Malcolm operated. He, more so than most people, understood when someone just wanted to be left alone. This was definitely one of those moments.

Besides, it's not like she could tell him what was wrong. If she did, he would hate her. That single thought seemed to hit her right in the chest. Malcolm would hate her if he ever knew what she had done – not only him but probably everyone else on the ship. If anyone found out her secret, the family she had fought so hard to keep wouldn't want her anymore.

=/\=

Present – On EnterpriseJanuary 22, 2155 (ATP)

Three Crawlers.

Check.

Pump Motor A, B, and C.

Check, check, and check.

Niflown filter.

Trip looked around the cargo hold.

What the hell was a niflown filter?

That was the third thing in an hour he hadn't been able to identify. Yes, he had wanted to do the inventory himself, but he was starting to think it would be much easier if he had someone to consult about things like… limpound rods and niflown filters. Just as he was thinking of calling up one of the mining engineers, someone walked in the cargo hold. It was one of the passengers, a teenage boy. He couldn't have been more than 18, but it was worth a shot.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know what a niflown filter is, would you?"

The boy looked around him for a moment then went over to a pile of miscellaneous parts and held up something that looked like big blue pot with a round bottom.

"This is what you're looking for," he said, handing the piece to Trip.

Trip took it and turned it round in his hands. "What does it do?"

"It's a part of the separator; it's one of the filters the ore goes through to take out the impurities."

Trip nodded his head then turned to the kid. "You sure know a lot about this equipment."

"I should. I'm the head of maintenance."

Trip smiled. "You're kind of young, aren't you?"

"16, but I'm the best. I know these machines inside and out."

Trip stuck out his hand. "I'm Trip Tucker, Chief of Engineering."

The kid smiled back at him. "Are you saying you don't remember me?"

Trip looked confused for a moment, but then his face lit up with realization. "Q'ell?"

Q'ell nodded in the affirmative.

"Wow boy, you've gotten big. I really didn't recognize you."

Q'ell laughed. "I noticed."

"So you're coming back with us?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Trip, but I don't trust my machines to anyone," Q'ell said with a grin, "even the best engineer in Starfleet."

"Don't worry, I understand completely. And besides, someone is going to have to explain some of these systems to me." He handed the piece back to Q'ell. "Well, I'm starving. How about I take you down to the mess hall and you tell me everything I need to know about this equipment over lunch?"

"Sure, that sounds great. I don't suppose you have any Fug'e?"

"No… but I'm sure we can find you something you'll like." Trip walked towards the door, with Q'ell following behind him. "In fact, I think someone told me Chef has pecan pie today."

"What is pecan pie?"

"You'll like it. Trust me."

=/\=

Present – On EnterpriseJanuary 19, 2155 (ATP)

"I love you like this," Hoshi mumbled as she settled comfortably on Malcolm's chest. Making love with Malcolm was a completely different experience than with anyone else she had ever been with. It was like the more they touched, the closer they came to becoming one person. They were so in sync, so intuitive of each other's wants and needs. Hoshi honestly couldn't think of a more wholly satisfying experience.

"Naked?" Malcolm smirked. "You know I think nakedness suits you very nicely, as well. In fact, perhaps you should be naked more often."

Hoshi giggled. "Thank you, but that's not what I was talking about." Hoshi sat up on her elbow facing him. "I mean, I feel like I never see you as completely as when we're together like this."

Malcolm smiled softly, but didn't say anything.

"Even with me, you still put up those little barriers. But sometimes, there's that split second…when I see all of you…and I can't help but love you even more." Malcolm gently stroked her hair while she spoke. "But at the same time, it makes me wish I could see all of you all of the time."

"It's really nothing more than habit."

"I know, but still…"

"There's never been anyone else that I've trusted as fully as I do you. Aside, I suppose, from Maddie."

Hoshi blushed lightly and she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride rise up inside her. "Oh."

"Besides, I have to keep up the charade of being mysterious or you'll find out how completely dull I am."

Hoshi laughed again, this time more fully. "Yes, Malcolm Reed, you are a boring, boring man." She kissed him lightly on the lips.

They were both silent for a bit until Malcolm spoke up.

"Did I tell you I had dinner with Trip tonight?"

"No, but I'm glad you didn't have to eat alone. Sorry I canceled at the last minute."

"It's perfectly all right. You were working. But anyway, remember that little boy that thought Trip was a god last time we were here?"

Hoshi smiled. "Oh yeah, the little kid with the brown hair? Q'ell right?"

"Yes, him. Well apparently he is now the head of maintenance on the colony. And guess who's teaching Trip the ins and outs of these machines we're going to be setting up?"

Hoshi laughed. "That's funny. I bet the two of them get along perfectly."

"Yes, I thought there was a bit of irony to that." Malcolm smiled and went back to stroking Hoshi's hair. "He told me something else."

Hoshi took the hand stroking her and weaved her fingers through his, locking them together. "What?" she asked.

"You have to give me your word that it won't leave this bed."

"You know how I am with secrets," Hoshi teased.

"Hoshi…"

"All right, I promise. Won't leave the bed."

"Mr. Tucker and Commander T'Pol are engaged."

Hoshi was silent for a bit. "To be married?"

Malcolm laughed. "Well of course."

"Wow."

"It's bloody well time, don't you agree?"

"Definitely. The entire ship knew they were in love before they did." Hoshi laughed.

Malcolm pulled Hoshi over on top of himself. "How would you feel about telling the Captain about our relationship?" he asked.

Hoshi thought about it for a moment. "What about regulations?"

"Captain Archer has seemed to take a more liberal approach to that particular rule."

"Are you sure?" Hoshi asked. "I thought you wanted to keep this… discreet."

Malcolm nodded his head. "As long as you agree. I think it would be a good way to keep our relationship from interfering with our careers in the future, and vice versa."

Hoshi nodded her head then feigned surprise. "The future… so you think we have a future together?" she teased.

"Yes." Malcolm smiled. "I believe we do."

=/\=

TBC