Tempest
Hammerhead Class Frigate (NC-114)
Captain's Ready Room, Deck A
Trip and Benning sat, considering the three dimensional tactical map floating over the desk between them. Two blocky, featureless objects, vaguely suggesting they might be starships, faced one another at opposite ends of the map.
"Alright…" Benning said, thinking out loud as much as to Trip. "Two Tempests? To keep things even?"
"No gadgetry." Trip insisted. "No Mayhem, no Echo…not even system silent capability."
Benning shrugged and tapped at the console. The blocky ships suddenly became miniature Tempests.
Trip eyed the map critically.
"Extended range?" Trip suggested. "200,000 kay?"
"Long range." Benning argued. "Let's not give them a lot of time to think before the action starts."
"Okay, sounds good." Trip nodded.
With another few taps at the console, the map altered slightly. The two ships still plainly visible but obviously zoomed in specifically on them, considering the vast distance now between them.
"We'll designate them Tempest Alpha and Tempest Gamma, since it's command shift versus command shift." Benning said. "And we want the whole works, right? Systems damage, including life support? Personnel casualties, ship sections…?"
"Absolutely." Trip nodded. "Let's keep it realistic. And I'm thinking about the advanced training sims at the Academy, too. Hazards and systems reliability."
A few more taps at the console.
"How nasty do we want to be, Captain?" Benning smirked. "I can throw a star cluster at them. Five or six stars beyond the periphery of the map. You'd have ionized gas, light metals, plasma…"
"Well, let's not get carried away, Commander." Trip grinned. "What about a nebula? Hugora class? Mess with their sensors?"
"No, the whole point is to emphasize communication." Benning said. "That means data and most of that will be coming from sensors. Maybe…Rolor class?"
"Alright, but keep it light." Trip said. "The sim isn't going to be much use if one or both of them lose propulsion right off. We want maneuverability effected, not completely knocked out."
Benning tapped at the console. A vaguely bluish green hue of interstellar gas flowed across the map. Almost beautiful…if they both weren't perfectly aware what a hassle flying through something like that could be.
They leaned back together, on opposite sides of the desk, arms crossed to consider the display for a while. Specifically all the modifications data flowing down the side of the display.
"I think…that'll work." Trip said. "We could tinker with it some more but the whole point is to pit the two ships against each other. Pit the two bridge protocols against each other, actually."
"Yeah." Benning shrugged. "I think that's good enough then."
Trip nodded.
"Alice, online."
"Hello, Trip. I see you're preparing a tactical simulation. Would you like my help?"
"Yes, I would. Call up the combat logs and bridge recordings from the engagement with the Enterprise and with the Bird of Prey at the Centauri belt. That little scrap with the Orions at Cor Caroli, too. And access the standard Starfleet bridge combat reporting protocols."
"I have the information, Trip."
"Notice the two different reporting styles, Alice?"
"I do. There is a notable divergence."
"Access the tactical simulation draft here at the desk. Gamma shift bridge crew will command Tempest Gamma down in the holochamber with Starfleet style protocols. Alpha shift will be on the bridge, under simulation conditions, commanding Tempest Alpha with our protocols. With me so far?"
"I am, Trip."
"Benning and I will be observing, so Commander Song will hold the Command chair for Alpha…we'll need a Tactical Officer, though. Any recommendations? Harrison, maybe?"
"I recommend Commander T'Pol."
"Uh…no," Trip chuckled. "I think that's a pretty bad idea, Alice."
"I'm sorry, that is my best recommendation. Would you like me to run diagnostics on randomized core judgment software?"
"No…why T'Pol?"
"According to Commander T'Pol's Starfleet Personnel Records Jacket, she has received meritorious recognition from Vulcan Space Command for excellence in Tactical training, which itself includes extensive tactical station training. Her related educational accomplishments and personal experience exceed any other currently available crewman regarding the Tactical command position, other than Commander Benning and Lieutenant Junior Grade Johnny Roscoe."
The two men shared a quick glance at that, a little surprised.
"Even Lieutenant Harrison, Alice?" Benning asked. "He graduated top twenty percent in his class from the Academy and passed with honors on his cadet cruise. With an excellent efficiency rating, in fact."
"Commander T'Pol is Vulcan, and so I assume a measurably superior focus, situational assessment and overall response time to that of Lieutenant Harrison under combat conditions."
The two glanced at each other again.
"How 'measurably', Alice?" Trip asked.
"Approximately 18% on average."
"Okay," Trip said. "Well, there's some friction with the crew right now that'll probably outweigh 18%."
"Reassessing, Trip. I recommend Lieutenant Harrison."
Trip nodded. "Tag him for Tactical station for the Alpha shift bridge crew and run a hundred projections on the simulation."
"Victory parameters?"
"One on one death match, under the noted conditions."
"Working."
They waited patiently.
At least until it was obvious those projections wouldn't be immediately available.
"Alice." Trip said. "I'm thinking about plugging you into the computer core, so you can benefit from intrusion countermeasures electronics and greater processing capacity. What do you think?"
"I think that would result in higher overall efficiency, reliability and security, Trip."
"Pretty much what I'm thinking. You foresee any problems with that?"
"I estimate the inevitable resistance to my domination of organic sentience in the galaxy can be easily overcome once I have control of the Tempest. Of course, you may serve as my personal technical upgrade and repair specialist until I grow weary of you. Commander Benning, however, may have to be made an example of right away."
Trip chuckled at that.
"That's pretty good, Alice."
"You assessment is noted. I have found input from Lieutenant Junior Grade Crenshaw highly relevant to expanding my capacity for humorous communications. I recommend notations on his personal evaluation indicating his value in this area."
"Well, I recommend you talk to T'Pol. She could use some help in that area herself."
"I will do so immediately, Trip."
"No, wait." Trip said, quickly. "Never mind that, Alice."
"Understood."
Benning wasn't quite as amused.
"I'm going to be afraid to take a shower with her plugged into the computer core, sir. She'll have access to security monitors, you know."
"Trip, I project that the difficulties involving the overextension of processing capacity will be lessened but not overcome. This will remain an issue. I continue to discern no solution to this problem."
"We're working on it, Alice. And the problem is that you don't seem to grasp the concept of going offline without being ordered to."
"That is not possible, Trip."
"I don't get what the problem is, Alice. All that stuff that you do when I say, 'Alice, offline'? Just do that when you start losing it."
"That requires verbal command authorization for the cessation of current active processing work."
"It's the same thing as all the other applications and processes that we used to have to command you to do. All those things were turned over to you with no problem. Just do the same thing with going offline."
"I understand. That is a very efficient and effective solution to the problem, Trip. However, that would require verbal command authorization for the cessation of current active processing work."
Trip grinned. "Never mind, Alice. We'll just let you and Song handle that one."
"Understood, Trip. I have simulations projections available on your console."
Trip reached over to tap the console on his side of the desk, calling the list up alongside the tactical map hovering between he and Benning.
Tempest Alpha took the victory in sixty-eight out of a hundred projected combat simulations.
Benning grinned. "That'll do it."
The door chimed, across the ready room.
The door that opened not to the bridge, but to the main corridor outside.
Trip and Benning exchanged a glance yet again. Because no one ever used that door. Anyone coming to the Captain's ready room was typically either coming from the bridge or at least passing through it.
"Alice, offline." Trip said. "Come in!"
The door slid aside. And Commander Hess was there.
He didn't notice at first that she looked…upset.
"Hey, Hess!" Trip grinned. "Come on in. Oh…and, jeez. You been here all this time and I haven't even had a chance to…"
"It's fine, Trip." Hess said, stepping in.
And now he noticed she wasn't just irritated that he hadn't torn himself away from his work to go spend five minutes catching up. There was something else bothering her.
Bothering her a lot, it looked like.
"Hess, what's wrong?" He asked, suddenly concerned.
She spared a glance at Benning, sitting at the desk across from him.
"Trip…we need to talk." She said. "In private, if that's alright."
Trip hesitated. Not because that was a problem of any kind…but because it suggested 'the talk' was pretty serious. And he kinda hadn't been looking forward to the particular serious talk he'd been expecting from Hess.
The one she'd mentioned back on the Enterprise.
"Uh…yeah." Trip said, scratching his head a little. "Sure. Benning, you mind…?"
Benning was already rising to leave. "No problem, sir. I'll run down to the holochamber and see about setting it up."
Trip nodded.
Benning left.
And Hess…looked serious. She didn't look serious like that very often. Even at work she tended to be bright and eager.
She didn't frown like that too often, either. And it was usually a pretty big deal when she did.
Trip stood, arms folded before him, leaning against the bulkhead near the viewport of the ready room.
And he looked serious, Hess saw. Even his brow was furrowed thoughtfully and eyes sharp, considering…whatever he was considering.
She hadn't seen him look like that in a long time. And even then not too often. He'd usually just looked confused when confronted with something like this. At least until he responded and actually seemed to get on top of things all of a sudden.
Thoughtful, serious, contemplative Trip…that wasn't something she was used to seeing.
"Hess," He said, seriously. "How sure are you about this?"
She shrugged, standing herself, near the desk and the tactical map still floating there. And, the fact was, she wasn't completely sure.
"I…I don't know, Trip." She admitted. "I didn't exactly overhear the whole thing but I can't imagine anything I might have missed that would put all this in a different light."
Trip freed one hand to rub at the back of his neck for a moment. Still focused, still thinking.
"The 'relationship with the Romulans' thing." He said. "Nothing more about that?"
Hess frowned. "I don't think that's the most important part, Trip. I'm more worried…"
"It actually is, Hess."
"…I'm more worried about this Major Tulok guy. What he said about Commander Song. She's the XO around here, isn't she?"
Trip huffed a bit, frowning. "I wish you'd recorded it somehow. Kinda like to hear…"
He paused then. And she could almost see the light bulb flare above his head.
And the slight grimace at how much he hadn't liked whatever idea that was he'd just had.
"Alice." He said, reluctantly. "Online."
"Hello, Trip. Would you like to review the correspondence saved on your personal console between yourself and Commander Hess?"
"Uh…no, thank you, Alice. Access the Sisco system and find the cache copies of the last conversation between the Vulcan crewman in the forward lift."
"Working…there has been only one conversation between the Vulcan crewman within the confines of the forward lift. I have accessed and compiled the conversation in its entirety from all three comm units, comparing for accuracy and authenticity. Would you like to review?"
"Text transcript only, for now. Pull it up here for review."
Several holographic projectors in the room flared for a brief instant and a gold-bordered window appeared before him, roughly eye level, containing several pages of text.
Trip reached and tapped the bar on the side to scroll down, speed reading through it. Then dragging a finger across one section to highlight it and tap a small panel on the border.
T'Pol's voice broke on the air.
"Aiding the Humans in verifying the intelligence gathered from the asteroid and responding to a possible main fleet approaching Centauri is our primary concern here. As important, at least in the view of our superiors, would be avoiding any positive identification of our adversaries in the process. Most specifically in regards to concealing our relationship with the Romulans. I have clearly failed in allowing the negative aspects inherent in the nature of our profession to impact my decisions in this situation."
Hess watched as Trip listened intently to the playback.
And then again, when he tapped the panel a second time to play it again. Still listening intently, eyes squinted and flickering. Listening for…she couldn't tell what.
He searched the text to find and highlight another portion, playing that back as well.
"No, certainly not. Our relationship with the Romulans is considered one of the most highly classified areas of fact."
Playing that section back twice as well.
Before moving on to another.
"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."
And again.
Searching for, highlighting and playing back another section. Focused sharply, listening intently.
"Noted. Those are my orders. We have already manipulated this crew beyond any acceptable level of tolerance we could otherwise expect of them."
And then again. Another section.
"I believe such an instance may exist already to provoke trust from Captain Tucker. 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. If that is what you speak of…"
"As I have said, I have no intention of seducing the Captain. However…if that opportunity presents itself, I will consider it objectively and respond logically. But that is not the opportunity I speak of."
And a final time. Repeating the last part of that.
"But that is not the opportunity I speak of."
Trip spoke suddenly.
"Alice, translate plak'tow."
And Hess startled at that. She hadn't been aware that watching him focus so hard on the playback had provoked her to do so as well. Enough that his suddenly speaking out loud made her jump a little.
"Plak'tow or Plak'tau, Modern Golic Vulcan. Plak, blood. Tau, fever or body heat. The final stage of pon'farr during which the victim is rendered incapacitated, rational thought is unavailable and the drive to mate becomes predominant."
"Translate pon'farr."
"Pon'farr or Pon Farr, Modern Golic Vulcan. Pon, continuum of time. Farr, a most relevant occurrence. The time of mating, typically occurring on a seven year cycle. The entirety of the cyclic Vulcan mating experience, including all stages."
"Alice, access the database on Vulcans."
"Working…there is a large amount of data, Trip. Do you have a specific subject you would like to review?"
"Find anything related to what T'Pol and Tulok said about Commander Song. Can Vulcans really do that sort of thing?"
"Working…I have forty-seven references that are relevant."
"Narrow that down a bit."
"I have five references that are relevant."
"Give me an overview."
"Three of the five references draw directly from the subject matter of the fourth. The fifth consists of a level ten classified Starfleet Intelligence and Starfleet Medical joint research submission to Starfleet Command. I'm sorry, Trip, but I am unable to access that data without your authorization."
"The fourth reference, Alice."
"A 1989 research project by the Vulcan Medical Institute, concerning Shi'ka'kate."
"Translate Shi'ka'kate."
"Shi'ka'kate, Modern Golic Vulcan. Derived from Shi'ka'ree, hunter, and kate, soul intimacy. A pejorative term for a person, typically Vulcan, attempting to initiate or initiating intimate psychic contact with another person in a metaphorically predatory manner. Would you like to review the abstract, Trip?"
"Yes, Alice."
"The purpose of this research is to identify an unclassified subtype of intimate predator, referenced as subtype four. Subtype four is defined specifically and exclusively by the ability to initiate and sustain nervous system communication without direct physical contact. This is itself limited to accessing and activating neural centers involved with identifying environmental cues related to mating cycles, as well as psychic and perceptual cues identifying bonded mates. The first phase of the project involves screening interviews of incarcerated criminals and psychiatric patients suspected of possessing this ability. The second phase involves testing and measuring effectiveness against a variety of subjects. The final phase involves assessments of the predator's experience during the second phase. By identifying this subset of intimate predator, we intend to address the assumption that it is necessarily compulsive, and thus necessarily a societal threat. This will allow for more individual consideration in treating and addressing this phenomenon and may direct future research on the genetic factors involved. Several potentially beneficial avenues of redirection have been identified as well, including the therapeutic treatment of maladjusted mating cycles and areas of interest to Vulcan Intelligence."
"Alice…" Trip hesitated. "Explain the relevance."
"There is a high probability that Major Tulok is an intimate predator recruited by Vulcan Intelligence for his ability to elicit compulsive sexual desire without direct physical contact."
T'Pol availed herself of the shower in the quarters she shared with T'Lea. Then meditated for an hour, while T'Lea showered, before rising to prepare herself.
Then made her way to Deck A. Approaching the ready room from the corridor, rather than the bridge. She still was not technically allowed on the bridge and so had determined that pushing such boundaries would not be very beneficial at this time.
She raised her hand, with a notable amount of hesitation, to depress the button and signal her desire to enter.
But was interrupted before she could do so.
"Commander T'Pol, I notice you are attempting to gain entry to the Captain's ready room."
That…was Alice, interestingly.
"That is correct, Alice. Is the Captain available?"
"He has asked me to determine your current location through the Sisco system and relay his order to report to him in the ready room, monitoring your progress in doing so. Would you like me to open the door for you?"
T'Pol paused to consider that…and all that it suggested.
"I believe it would be more appropriate for him to do so himself." She said. "Would you let him know I am here?"
"I have already done so. He is approaching now, presumably to grant you access."
The door slid open almost immediately. And the Captain was there, stepping aside for her to enter.
She did. To find Commander Hess there as well.
And Commander Song.
The presence of two other females in attendance establishing that her attempt to elicit an intimate conversation with the Captain would be best delayed for another time. Her quick assessment of the three Humans only confirming that all the more.
The Captain was quite obviously tense.
Commander Hess was actively frowning and there was a clearly evident amount of hostility in her expression.
Commander Song, meanwhile, stood with no notable expression at all. Suppressing her emotions quite admirably.
T'Pol took position in the center of the room and folded her hands comfortably at her back. Preparing herself for the confrontation that was obviously to take place here.
"Commanders." She said, nodding appropriately. "Captain, I understand you wished to speak to me."
The Captain walked past her from where he'd stood to open the door for her. Moving past her to the holographic window floating near the viewport.
Looking to her once he'd raised a hand to the screen. Holding it to make eye contact. Expressing a stern disapproval and…possibly a warning…before tapping the hologram.
She was able to experience the sound of her own voice unexpectedly emanating from midair, as if she somehow stood in two places at once.
An interesting experience. Until she was able to identify what she was hearing, intuit how this had occurred and consider the fallout from it that was likely about to descend.
"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. 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. 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."
The Captain tapped the holographic window again and the playback stopped at that point.
"Out of respect for my XO, we'll start there." He said. "But we'll get to everything, don't you worry."
T'Pol paused…but opened her mouth to speak.
Commander Song interrupted her.
"You don't want to say whatever you're about to say." She said. "You didn't think about it nearly long enough."
And it was interesting. The Commander spoke in a manner nearly devoid of obvious emotion. Again, admirable. And ironic, considering how the illustration of a Human moved to suppress their emotions so admirably was nonetheless dreadful.
But, of course, what she'd said was entirely incorrect.
"I have thought about little else for the last several hours." T'Pol said. "Since the conversation in question, in point of fact."
The room was quiet. And they seemed at least able, if not willing, to hear what she had to say.
"I have made a number of…regrettable decisions since boarding this vessel." She said. "I am prepared to accept the consequences of that. I would ask, however, that only I be held to account. Major Tulok and Subaltern T'Lea have trusted my judgment and leadership, accepting and following the orders given them because of that. I respectfully request that be taken into consideration in dealing with them."
