Chapter 36
They had made a plan to go to the cave at dawn. Tuckey explained it would be safer so they could see if they were being followed, since Wade was always watching him because he didn't know where the cave was. This was the reason that Tuckey stayed away from it and figured that at some point, Wade would give up and Tuckey could start mining it then.
Tuckey wanted to talk to Trip longer and Jon warned him not to reveal too much, even though Tuckey assured him he wouldn't say anything because people would think he was either drunk or insane.
"So...you're my great-grandson? You're last name really Williams?"
"No. It's Tucker. Charles Tucker the third."
"Why you call your friend there Cap'n? If y'all ain't government, can't be military."
Trip chuckled. "It's not really like the military the way you know of it, but there are similarities. He's our Cap'n in rank. I'm a Commander."
"So, y'all fly them...what you call it...shuttles around Earth? Doing what?"
"No. The shuttle pods are small, short range transportation. We work on a starship...in space."
"Whoa! Y'all go to the moon? What's it like on the moon?"
"Cold, dusty and empty. We went, we saw, played a little golf, set up a mining operation and colony then moved on."
"You mean y'all go past the moon? How far? Mars? Saturn?"
"Much further than that. We've been able to leave the solar system."
"Well now! That's quite the trick. And you go way out there like that? Ain't you afraid of little green men?"
Trip gave a chuckle. "The Vulcans have a green tint to them, but they're peaceful. In fact they sort of helped us get out beyond our solar system...well helped us by trying to stand in the way that is. The others with green skin are Orions, not so little. The men are huge and strong. The women...let's just say they can be dangerously intoxicating."
"The ring on your finger. You're married. Any young ones for ya?"
"No. Not yet. Maybe someday."
"You're wife...please don't tell me she's a martian from Mars or something."
Trip shook his head. "No martians on Mars. Just some humans that colonized. I'm married to a human."
"So your wife then, she on this...spaceship with you?"
Trip shifted uncomfortably. "Not at the moment."
"Where is she? Here on Earth?"
"Yeah. You could say that."
Tuckey looked at Trip. "Why you so shifty about your wife? Things ain't right between y'all?"
Trip blew out a breath. What the hell? May as well tell him the truth. "Things are right between us. Truth is, I'm not married to a woman... I'm married to a man."
Tuckey looked at him in silence for a moment. "You know that's a sin against God...right? Or don't y'all believe in God no more?"
"I believe in God. Pray every day. I also believe that God created me this way and therefore it can't be a sin."
"Somewhere in your time my bones are rolling in my grave right now. Your ma and pa? They ok with this?"
"Yes. They love him to pieces."
"How could the world fall from grace like this? You mean people like you can get...married? Legal and official and all?"
"Legal and official. It won't happen in your lifetime, but Sara and Jason's lifetime, they may be old when it happens, but they'll see the beginning of acceptance."
"But why Trip? Why don't you find a nice girl to settle down with? Have a few babies? Even if its just a facade."
"We can adopt children and I like women too, but he's the one that captured me. The heart doesn't see woman or man, it only sees the soul. It's his soul my heart fell in love with. He has a beautiful soul. His light is almost pure white." Trip gave a small smile as his eyes sparkled when he reflected back to his week with the Nexus.
"Light almost white? What does that mean?"
"Nothing...just an observation I made once."
"So why ain't this...uh..." Tuckey was looking for the right word.
"Husband." Trip supplied. "He's my husband, I'm his husband."
"Hmm...still don't like this idea, but ok. Why ain't this husband of yours on the spaceship with you...if y'all is so accepting."
"Because he's here with me." Trip glanced down the hall then back to Tuckey.
"Oh hells bells! Not that little Britt!" Tuckey howled.
Trip laughed. "Malcolm? Oh hell no. He's a good friend, but never in a million years! Trapped on a shuttle pod with him for three days was painful enough! I kept myself drunk to drown out his yammering! Told him it was to keep warm though, so don't tell him that part."
"So...the Cap'n? Huh. Well...at least you married up.
XXX
It was crack of dawn and Jon woke to the annoying sound of a rooster crowing. He thought about throwing a boot at it, but then thought that Tuckey might not appreciate it very well. Trip was in the small bed with him, cuddled in his arms and he wondered when Trip had come to bed. He looked over at the other small bed and saw Malcolm still sleeping with his back to them. Jon stole a moment to rub his hand down Trip's body and give him soft kisses on the neck.
Trip stirred and stretched his body. "Somebody shoot that damned rooster." He mumbled out, his voice thick with sleep and slightly distorted from part of his face being pressed into the pillow.
"Good morning sweetheart." Jon whispered while nuzzling his nose in Trip's neck.
"Mornin' darlin'." Trip stretched again and rolled over in the tight space to be face to face with Jon.
They laid for a moment, looking into each other's eyes and running their hands on the other. Jon pulled on Trip's hip, feeling the morning hardness against his own. "Do you think it's a good idea for us to be in bed together? What if Tuckey or Mary comes in?"
"Me and Tuckey had a long talk about this. He knows we're married." Trip gave a playful nip to Jon's chin.
"Really? In this time period? He's ok with it?" Jon ran a series of small kisses down Trip's neck.
"Not really...went on about being a sin and all, but I think in the end he just wants for me to be happy, besides...I wasn't gonna sleep on the floor." Trip brushed his lips against Jon's then leaned in for a soft kiss, pulling Jon's lower lip into his teeth as the tip of his tongue ran along the lip. The sensation sent a shiver down Jon's spine causing his hips to buck into Trip.
For a moment the sounds of wet lips, smacking kisses, and rustling fabric filled the small room. Jon whispered in hushed pants. "Damnit Trip, why do you do this to me? We better stop, Malcolm is in the next bed."
"Yeah...you're right." Trip groaned out, letting it be known he really didn't want to stop.
They were both startled when they suddenly heard Malcolm's voice. "Just let me know when it's safe to roll over."
They both let out a small giggle as Trip sat up, folding his arms across his lap, slightly bending his body as he thought of things that would get control of his hardness before standing and shuffling around to get dressed.
They had their breakfast. It wasn't much, scrambled eggs, toast and preserves. No coffee this time, only milk and Trip hoped that the coffee they had the night before wasn't the family's last bit. He was a little surprised that there wasn't any grits, being accustomed to the staple item in a southern breakfast.
Sara was sent off to school, instructed to stay out of the barn, and to not tell anyone about their house guests. After many "whys" from Sara, she finally agreed that she would do as told.
Tuckey lead the three men to the cave, taking a zig-zag pattern and eyes scanning for anyone that might be watching or following them. Once they reached the cave, Malcolm stood guard and Jon agreed to allow Trip to use the phase pistol to cut out the dilithium crystals he needed, since Tuckey had already seen the pistol in action, it would make the process go faster so they could hury and leave the area before being spotted.
As Trip was cutting the crystals out, his mind continued to race to the meager breakfast they had and Sara's protest of "stew again". The more he thought, the angrier he got. Angry that his ancestors, his blood, were barely scraping by. Angry that a little girl had to go to school with barley a filled belly. Angry that Mary worked her fingers to the bone with other people's laundry and sewing, not to mention her own family's laundry and sewing, all the while sitting on riches because of one stubborn, greedy man.
During the night as he spoke to Tuckey, he questioned why Tuckey didn't simply offer to share the silver with him, avoiding this feud. He was shocked to discover that Tuckey had made many offers and proposals of a partnership with Wade, but Wade was so greedy that he wanted the land back and continued to insist that Tuckey had stolen it from him. Wade had even went so far as to accuse Tuckey, and the judge that presided over the court case, as being in cahoots with each other.
Trip cut out a small chunk of silver and tossed to Tuckey. "Get cash for that and go get your family some food, maybe be enough to pay off the bank note to the farm."
Tuckey looked at the chunk. "I can't do that, Trip. If I show up in town with this, he'll know I was here and bullets will start to fly. I understand what yer try'n to do...but I can't."
"Ok...give it to Jon. He can take it into town, get some cash and food for y'all, right Cap'n."
Jon looked at Trip for a moment and thought about what he was doing. "Trip...we can't interfere with history, we've done enough damage by being here, and Tuckey knowing about the shuttle, space, and you being a descendant. We can't do this, I'm sorry."
"But they don't know who you are and you don't have to tell them where you got the silver from, you could've been carrying it in your pocket from California, for all anyone would know. We can't just let them keep suffering."
Jon took the chunk from Tuckey and tossed it away, then cupped Trip's face in his hands. "Honey, I understand what you're trying to do, but they won't suffer for long...remember? Your ancestors will survive this dark time...without our help."
"But-"
Jon's voice hardened, the soft, tender husband gone and now stood the Captain. "Commander! Do I need to remind you of the last time you interfered with a society? Do you need a tribunal this time? I said no. That's an order. Understand, Commander?"
Trip's body stiffened into a half attention stance as Jon chewed him out. "Aye sir. Understood." He responded.
They gathered up their things and headed back out. Tuckey leaned over to Trip and muttered. "Not military huh?"
"I said not military the way you know it." Trip quipped back sarcastically.
They made it safely back to the farm and Trip got to work. Tuckey found a container Trip could use to process the crystals, explaining to Tuckey that the container should be something he didn't need or care about since it would end up being ruined. Jon and Malcolm studied the readings from the shuttle and determined that the combination of speed, the dilithium drainage, plasma and coolant venting mixing with the atmosphere as they approached orbit caused them to be thrown back in time. They would have to recreate the accident in the hopes it would propel them into their own time. Why the combination of those things made the time travel possible, Jon didn't know and decided he'd yield that one to T'Pol for study when they got back...if they got back.
Trip still needed to patch the crack in the dilithium chamber, or the whole venture would be pointless as the shuttle would explode from the pressure variance entering into space. The database had the formula that Trip could make the sealant, and most of the chemicals could be found in common household items, but a couple chemicals would take government clearance, money and time to get their hands on. Trip decided that he would weld and solder the crack, adding a few extra chemicals to the smelt to make it harder and withstand the high temperatures. He wasn't to happy about the amout of slag to his patch job, but it would have to do and said a silent prayer that it would hold.
Trip used a mixture of antifreeze, low grade motor oil, and a few other chemicals to top off the coolant. It meant that the coolant systems would be shot to hell and the shuttle most likely be scrapped because of it, but at least it would do the trick to get them back home.
The plasma was a different story. There was no way of recreating that with the items available to him of this time period, and they all hoped that there was enough in the cells for the plan to work.
It took most of the day for the crystals to process, extracting the impurities, and drying the liquid dilithium into a powder. Tuckey helped Trip with the repairs, getting a crash couse in impulse propulsion maintenance. Trip carefully poured the powered dilithium into the chamber and took a look. "Shit! It's not enough!" He bellowed out. "I'm gonna have to go back to the cave and get more crystals." He slumped down and shook his head.
The sun was starting to set, and Tuckey made the decision that it would be safer to wait until the middle of the night, when Wade was most likely home in bed, and that this time, it should only be himself and Trip to go. Less people, less chance of being spotted.
They had dinner...stew again then Trip and Tuckey set off for the cave. They were in the cave when Trip decided to go around the corner to check for more crystals. As he had just finished cutting crystals, most likely taking more than needed, but ensuring he'd have plenty this time, he heard voices and yelling coming from the front of the cave.
Trip came around the corner in time to see Tuckey and Wade Boggs scuffling, trying to wrestle a rifle away. A shot rang out as Trip stood, eyes wide as the body crumpled to the ground.