Tempest
Hammerhead Class Frigate (NC-114)
Captain's Ready Room, Deck A

In the Captain's ready room, sitting behind his desk facing Benning, Trip smirked happily.

'Can we access it?'

Really?

"I think you forget who you're talking to, Commander." He said, pleased with himself no little amount.

He reached and tapped casually at the control console.

Calling up a transcript, several pages in length.

"Alice and I tested it out last night." He said. "I've got a transcript of that conversation you and I had about Tellarite politics two months ago. And we didn't just pull it from our comms, either. We got it from every other comm you and I came in range of while we were walking around, too. Just to see if we could do that. And we could."

Benning wasn't immediately impressed, though.

Benning frowned instead.

"That's why I tightened up the aura." Trip explained quickly, seeing that. "Tightened it up a lot."

That still didn't seem to make him happy.

"So the comms aren't picking up other conversations." Trip explained. "And I can set privacy restrictions and the cache any time. Already got that set up, ready to go."

Well, okay…

But, still. From where Benning sat, the prospect of someone accessing private conversations going back whole months…

No, that didn't make him happy at all.

And, besides…

"If we're going have to keep shaking the bugs out of the Sisco, sir," Benning grumbled. "Then we might as well go ahead and submit it to Starfleet with the rest of this gear. Make it official."

Trip chuckled.

"Not a bad idea." He said. "It's a great system, if we can work out all the kinks."

Benning shook his head.

"They really should have tested all this stuff a couple of years ago, Captain. We'd have it all squared away by now, installed on every Starfleet ship and be a lot better prepared for Rommie."

Trip shrugged. "Don't really think we could have been prepared for that. And I had to dig up most of this stuff from Starfleet R&D archives before I could fine tune it and submit it. They never would have gotten around to testing any of it."

"I thought Mayhem and Sisco were yours?"

"Well, yeah. And the Xyrillian team helped me with Mayhem. The rest of the stuff's abandoned R&D tech I just kinda…tweaked a bit. But, look, back to the point…"

Benning paid attention now. Because Trip was serious again.

"The Sisco system." He said. "The Vulcans have had units for almost four days now, Benning."

Ah. He got it right away.

"You're thinking about that big secret of theirs." He guessed. "Thinking maybe they mentioned it out loud some time in the past four days."

"Or even before that, a little too close to someone else's Sisco unit." Trip nodded. "Although…I don't think that's very likely. They are spies…"

"You haven't put Alice on it, yet?"

Trip frowned.

"Well…no, I haven't."

"Captain…why not?" Benning asked, surprised.

Trip shrugged, uncertain.

"Still trying to figure out if I should." He said. "Kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Then you should, sir."

"Well, that's funny." Trip said. "Because that's exactly what the Vulcans would do. If they thought they could get away with it, then it'd be the logical thing to do. The only real argument against it would be that if they got caught it'd break trust. Kinda what they're dealing with right now, actually."

Benning frowned, rethinking things.

That is what the Vulcans would do. And look at the situation they're in now. We can't trust them.

"Game theory." Trip said, suddenly. "Remember in the Academy?"

"Vaguely, sir." Benning nodded. "Basic xenocultural studies?"

"Two criminals are arrested." Trip nodded. "Interrogated separately. If neither confesses, they both go free. If one does and turns evidence on the other, then he goes free and the other goes to prison."

"And if they both confess, they both go to prison with a lesser sentence." Benning finished. "Right, I remember. And the logical thing to do would be to confess and turn on the other guy, sir. Better chance of a lesser sentence or no sentence at all."

"No, actually." Trip said. "These are career criminals. Partners in crime. The logical thing to do is not to confess and trust the other guy not to either. Even if he turns over on you, but you don't…you've at least proven you can be trusted. So he'll trust you next time."

"Okay, but if you do the math on that, sir, there comes a point where it is logical to turn on them. Once they've proven they'll consistently turn on you."

"And we're not at that point yet." Trip said. "If you remember game theory then you remember all the math on that. Eventually, if you repeat the exercise enough, you inevitably come to the point where both parties consistently cooperate and don't confess."

"If you forcibly repeat the exercise." Benning said. "If neither of them have the option of dropping the other partner or avoiding arrest in the future. Because then it is logical to cooperate."

"Right. And we don't have those options. None of us do. Not while the Romulans are a threat to us all."

Benning scratched his cheek thoughtfully.

"Sir…you still trust them? After everything they've already done?"

"Yeah, Benning. I do. Because the reverse holds true. They've reached that point, stepped over that line. But they need us to remain trustworthy, too. They can't avoid situations where trust will be an issue again and they can't just leave. So if we do trust them…they'll fall all over themselves to prove they're trustworthy so we'll still be."

"Assuming they even can be trustworthy, Captain."

"That's the assumption."

Benning chewed on that.

"So when do we get to the point where we turn on them, sir?"

"One more betrayal of trust." Trip said, firmly. "Song already made that point before the T'Lea thing happened. So they know they're about half a step over that line already. We both know this is the turning point."

Benning shook his head, frowning a little.

Because he was not entirely comfortable with that. Or at all, actually.

"Alright, sir. You're the Captain." Benning said. "But I still think you're being way too trusting."

Trip gave him an odd look over that.

"You know what's funny?" He said. "T'Pol said pretty much the same thing about Starfleet. They're too trusting. Pretty sure she meant to imply the same about me."

"Maybe you should take the hint, sir."

"Oh, I do." He said. "I want her to know I'll trust her. Just as long as she let's me trust her. That's the whole point."


Commander Hess ran the engineering scanner over the entire length of the weld for a third time. And ran another general diagnostic past the ship's environmental system just to be sure.

But the cargo bay's hull and bulkhead both had been successfully repaired. All the components, ducts, wiring and conduits inside replaced and patched as well.

Good as new.

Just…needed that final test.

She turned her head, trying to bring Claiborne into view. The helmet of the EV suit had a wide enough visor to allow for peripheral vision…but actually turning your head to look over your shoulder was still a little awkward.

"Ensign." She said, over the suit's integral comm. "I'm going to cycle atmo. Are you ready?"

Jack was busy checking and rechecking everything in the bay. Clunking around a little awkwardly in his own copper-colored EV suit. A lot of that cargo wasn't the sort of stuff you'd expect to respond well to sudden changes in pressure and temperature, after all. Never mind that everything seemed to have gotten through an actual hull breach during combat well enough…that wasn't the sort of thing you took for granted, if you cared about your next performance evaluation.

He took another half minute to satisfy himself, then simply gave her a thumbs up.

So she nodded and switched channels.

"Hess to the bridge."

"Bridge, go ahead, Commander."

"I think we've got things up to factory specifications in here. Ready to restore atmo."

"Understood. Stand by for cycle."

Hess kept a close eye on her scanner, but atmosphere, temp, pressure…everything reached optimal levels quickly enough with no sign of trouble.

A second careful scan of the whole area they'd just practically replaced…no apparent issues.

"Alright." She nodded, sparing Claiborne a grin. "I think we're good."

She reached and cracked the seal of her helmet. Taking a good breath despite herself in order to check things once her head was clear. As if she wouldn't have immediately known there was a problem if there had been. Her scanner would have revealed that already anyway.

She nodded again. And grinned.

"That's good work." She said, tossing Claiborne that grin.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, smiling back. His own EV helmet in hand.

She glanced around the cargo bay, very satisfied at a job well done.

But Claiborne didn't look completely satisfied.

"You want to check the cargo again, Ensign?" She guessed.

He hesitated but…

"Yes, ma'am." He said. "If you don't mind, ma'am."

Hess couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Knock yourself out, Claiborne."

He did, moving around to carefully check everything again while she waited. Enjoying the satisfaction of having gotten the job done, and done well at that. And thinking already about the short break she figured she must be well overdue for.

Sitting down on the nearest available surface, she realized she couldn't remember how many hours since she'd been anything resembling 'off-duty'. A lot, but no idea how many.

She was kind of tuckered.

Of course that thought immediately made her chuckle a bit.

And what the heck was she sitting on?

She stood again and reached to pull back the plain gray high-durability tarp draped over the thing…

And, no, she couldn't tell what the heck that was. That or the other two just like it under there. A trio of photon torpedo casings stuffed with…a bunch of junk, it looked like.

Something stenciled on the side of one of them, though…

"Hey, Claiborne?" She called.

"Ma'am?" He answered, from across the bay.

"What's an 'Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator'?"

She was surprised when the Ensign laughed at that.

"What?" She asked, looking over curiously.

"That's the Captain, ma'am." Claiborne chuckled. "Something from an old cartoon. You probably don't…"

"Oh, right. Marvin the Martian?"

"That's right! You've seen it?"

"No." Hess said, shaking her head. "I just worked with the guy for a while. Trip, I mean. Not any Martians."

Claiborne laughed again at that.

She turned back to the…torpedoes, maybe. Eyeing them, puzzled.

"So what the heck are they?" She asked, still examining them. Once he stopped laughing again.

"Oh, those are the laser missiles, ma'am."

Laser missiles?

That didn't make any sense. Why stick a laser on a…?

Oh, wait…those were laser rods poking out of there. So, right. Laser missile.

Not that it made any sense still. What powered the lasers…?

Click. Boom.

It hit her.

She got it.

And it knocked her back a step.

She…stared at the things for a second or two more, shocked at the very bad thing that just occurred to her.

"Claiborne…" She said, hesitantly. "Are these nuclear laser missiles?"

"Well…yes, ma'am." He said, a little puzzled himself. "I…figured the Captain told you…"

"No one told me about this." She said, grimly. "What are they doing here, Ensign?"

No, wait. She recognized some of those components.

Thor rounds for the guidance and orientation package, Wasp delivery for deployment, fission warhead for the laser rods.

Multi-target nuclear powered x-ray laser missile.

Three of them.

She'd played with that in the Academy. Ran combat sims with them, just to mess around.

It wasn't supposed to work…but Trip had built three of them.

So, yeah. These worked.

"Ma'am…I'm sorry, I thought…I figured the Captain told you…"

Hess just shook her head, staring at the things. Because, no. No one had told her about this.

"Commander." Claiborne said, composing himself and speaking more seriously now. "You should probably talk to the Captain. I don't think I can…"

"Yes," Hess said, her brow furrowed. "I will talk to the Captain."

She reached and snatched her EV helmet off the…things. Then stalked past the worried Ensign to exit the cargo bay.

Because she was going to talk to the Captain right now.


Hess turned right out of the cargo bay to take the nearby lift up to Deck A. Trip would be on the bridge or in the ready room, she knew. If he were in Engineering, he wouldn't have been able to resist walking right over to the cargo bay to either watch or pitch in. There had been repairs going on, after all.

But…she suddenly remembered he and the Vulcan had run up the main corridor to take the forward lift. Because that one went right up to the bridge.

She'd seen the quarantine hologram floating there and she'd heard about the low yield dilithium resin bomb that gone off in the forward lift…but the bulkhead wasn't sealed shut anymore…

So no one had bothered to turn the warning hologram off. And the lift was available again.

So she turned sharply and stalked off down the main corridor.

The door to the lift was open, but that didn't surprise her if it'd been cleaned and scrubbed as thoroughly as would have been required. Judging from that and the quarantine warning still floating there, the lift hadn't officially been readied for use…but there just weren't enough engineers on this ship to deal with little things like that.

She reached to hit the call button.

And stopped when she heard voices up there. In the lift, just three meters above her on Deck B.

There shouldn't be anyone just hanging around in the lift like that. Behind a quarantine tag, inside a lift that was just sitting there not moving.

Which…she suddenly doubted most of the crew were aware was available again. That's why whoever was up there was having that quiet discussion in there. It was probably the safest place on the ship to have some secret little meeting.

Could be…lovers, maybe. Some discreet romantic rendezvous.

Or something perfectly legitimate. Like, maybe, someone actually doing what should have already been done. Officially making the lift ready for use.

Or…it could be the Vulcan spies. Because the Commander, T'Pol, had known the lift was available despite the quarantine tag. She'd led the Captain off in this direction to get to the bridge, after all.

Hess wrestled with what to do here.

But she didn't wrestle for very long.

She stepped back away from the open door, put her helmet quietly on the floor and began the process of quickly crawling out of the EV suit.

Dressed in nothing but the full body under suit, with the quiet little booties at the feet, stealth would at least be an option.

And she availed herself of that, moving quietly into the lift. With the Tempest being a frigate, roughly just over half the size of the Enterprise, an actual full-function turbolift wasn't really required. So the lift wasn't technically a turbolift. It was just a lift.

So there was a maintenance ladder right there, since there wasn't any possibility of some other turbolift coming around to make use of the tube while you were in there working on this one.

She scaled up quietly, to very underbelly of the lift. Until she could make things out just clearly enough…


"…our relationship with the Romulans." T'Pol said. "I have clearly failed in allowing the negative aspects inherent in the nature of our profession to impact my decisions in this situation."

On the lift, Major Tulok considered that. And found that he disagreed.

"I disagree." He said. "Our approach to the question of the prisoners and the risk of their revealing that relationship to the Humans was sound and logical. As for the Subaltern's infiltration of the ship's operations system…"

Tulok hesitated, rethinking that part.

"…perhaps that was somewhat excessive and indeed colored by the necessity for excessive caution and preparedness inherent in our profession." He admitted. "Nevertheless, that the Humans would become aware of it and that Alice would be placed in the position to do so as well could not have been foreseen."

"Regardless," T'Pol argued. "It was excessive. Perhaps even somewhat paranoid and certainly indicative of a loss of perspective."

"Commander," Tulok said. "While I appreciate the admission, and the insight and objectivity that it illustrates, what is the point of this meeting?"

"We have lost the trust of the Human crew." T'Pol said. "We must regain it if we are to be afforded anything other than the most basic tolerance. If we are able to secure even that."

T'Lea spoke then, seizing the opportunity while Tulok considered that.

"Trust is difficult to build quickly." She noted. "Typically, it takes time and a great many passive assurances."

"Typically, yes." T'Pol said. "But there are methods of achieving it more quickly, if one is willing to avail oneself of them."

"Such as?" Tulok asked.

"Disclosure." T'Pol said. "Full disclosure, as I would recommend in this case. Especially of things one would otherwise have reason to withhold. That illustrates trust or at least willingness to suffer the consequences of one's actions, which itself tends to evoke trust."

Tulok projected…disagreement with that. Without actually verbalizing it.

"These are emotional issues, Commander." He said. "And while I am already far too familiar with them for comfort, I still find them difficult to perceive and pursue."

"We will look for and prepare for instances where trust can be shown." T'Pol said. "Shown by ourselves toward the Humans, especially the command staff. Availing ourselves of them whenever we can, even when that involves significant personal discomfort."

"But not the betrayal of our duty to High Command." T'Lea insisted, clarifying that important point.

"No, certainly not." T'Pol said. "Our relationship with the Romulans is considered one of the most highly classified areas of fact. As are many other things which we will likewise not divulge simply to earn the trust of a Human starship's crew. But there are many things we, as Vulcans, would not normally consider sharing that Humans would find evocative of trust were they shared. I speak of things of that nature."

T'Pol looked back and forth between the two subordinates. Judging their understanding of her admittedly vague instructions.

And finding they struggled with it.

"I also find this difficult to judge accurately." She said. "But we are Vulcan agents. We will adapt and succeed. We will learn the Human's culture and psychology. Understand their motivations and the things that drive them. Determine what will and what will not evoke trust, then make use of that understanding. Even at the cost of personal discomfort. Understood?"

"Understood, Commander." Tulok nodded.

"I understand." T'Lea acknowledged.

"Very well." She nodded. "Subaltern, you will focus your primary efforts on offering and providing your technical expertise to the ship. I recommend ingratiating yourself with engineering in the pursuit of that. Commander Hess specifically, as I perceive Lieutenant Shran would prove exceedingly difficult to elicit even a courteous professional relationship from."

T'Lea nodded.

And T'Pol turned to Tulok.

"Concerning your seduction of Commander Song, Major, what is your assessment?"

"That is progressing well. I foresee no immediate difficulties."

"And you continue to be confident this will prove beneficial?"

"Indeed." He said. "I have already successfully influenced her in many ways and that will only prove easier to accomplish as that continues."

"I will caution you again, Major." T'Pol warned. "Commander Song is not only Centaurian but Human. You would be wise not to underestimate your abilities considering her nature. Humans are effectively in a mild, near constant and fluctuating state of plak'tow. Easily provoked to sexual desire, if not necessarily to an utterly irrational degree. Consequently, if you are not extraordinarily careful, she may well begin to question her own behavior, finding it unusual enough to suspect she is being influenced externally."

T'Lea had something to say to that.

"Commander," She said, with some hesitation. "Among Humans, there are already many inaccurate speculations concerning psychic abilities and telepathic influence. Were Commander Song to suspect such influence, Major Tulok as the source of that would likely be readily apparent. At the very least, strongly suspected. I assume her reaction would be…emotionally explosive. Irrational, certainly."

T'Pol and Tulok shared a look. And found T'Lea's suggestion troubling.

"I would suggest further…this may well present precisely such an instance of trust evoking opportunity as you mentioned earlier." T'Lea continued. "Were Major Tulok to reveal this to the Commander himself, with an appropriate amount of humility and regret, she may well accept and forgive the behavior, and thus be provoked to trust. Especially if he were to cite his initial attraction as the impetus and poor judgment resulting from that attraction..."

Tulok objected immediately.

"I disagree. That would certainly provoke irrational behavior. Perhaps even violent behavior."

T'Pol, however…considered it carefully.

"I disagree as well." T'Pol decided.

To which Tulok nodded.

"Rather, you will exercise the full disclosure I cited." T'Pol continued, turning to him. "Inform her of your intentions, your methods and the fact that you were doing as ordered. As well as my rescinding that order in light of the current situation and your own regret being the impetus of that disclosure. Then appeal to forgiveness and express the willingness to accept whatever consequences she deems appropriate."

Tulok…suppressed significant shock.

For several long seconds.

"If…you think that is wise, Commander." Tulok said, finally. "But I must object and disagree."

"Noted. Those are my orders." T'Pol said, firmly. "We have already manipulated this crew beyond any acceptable level of tolerance we could otherwise expect of them. As it is, we have extended well beyond those limits. The only logical course here is to reverse our course. Whatever the discomfort of doing so, precisely as I have already stated."

The two nodded acknowledgement of that. Though Tulok, somewhat reluctantly.

"And of yourself, Commander?" T'Lea asked.

T'Pol thought that over, in light of the decisions she only recently made. And found an opportunity to elicit trust that she found uncomfortable herself. Perhaps not nearly as that which threatened Major Tulok…but nonetheless.

"I believe such an instance may exist already to provoke trust from Captain Tucker." She said, uncomfortably. "Should the opportunity present itself, I will take it."

"I am aware of the Captain's attraction to you, though I perceive he is not entirely aware himself." Tulok said. "If that is what you speak of…"

"As I have said, I have no intention of seducing the Captain." T'Pol said. "However…if that opportunity presents itself, I will consider it objectively and respond logically. But that is not the opportunity I speak of."

She didn't specify what it was, of course. And her Vulcan subordinates, being otherwise proper Vulcans, didn't even consider asking.