Honeymoon's Over
By: TLR55555 (TLR from House of Tucker)
September 2022
This story picks up about 2 months after the end of "What a Difference a Day Makes". As predicted, back aboard Enterprise keeping their secret become only one of the challenges they encounter. Enjoy.
Enterprise is the property of paramount studios. I receive nothing in exchange for writing this story other than making fans like myself happy.
After their time alone on the ice giant, Trip and T'Pol's return to Enterprise met with more than a few interesting issues they had to adjust too. Trip feared they would not sleep together as they had for the 9 months on the alien planet. Somehow, they were able to get around that by simply taking turns being in each other cabins. Unless working late, or on different shifts, the bond mates rested in each other's arms most nights. The rumor mill seemed okay with this as it gave them some juicy topics and actually worked at increasing crew morale compared to the time when the two weren't getting along.
Trip got very good at communicating through their bond, as they used this all day while they worked or when they were in a public place. His mate's mind in his head became second nature in short time and their teamwork excelled. T'Pol appeared to everyone around more calm and less stressed than she was just after her mother's death, the Kir'shara, and Orion women incidents. Her movements were more graceful, her communication seemed more caring, and when around her closest friends, was seen as more sure of herself than she had been before. Trip was always smiling, whistling, and upbeat. Even when things went wrong in engineering, the commander seemed to be able to take it in stride without swearing in a thick southern accent. He even felt more comfortable leaving engineering's second in command in charge when the chance for working with T'Pol was an option.
The latest mission was to pick up the now Councilman Soval (promoted just after playing a role in uncovering the Romulan's infiltration of the High Command). T'Pou, once considered a rebel felon, had been elected as head of the High Command and felt that Soval's diplomatic experience would make him ideally suited for this particular mission. The flight back to Vulcan was relatively benign, but the curiosity about this mission had the whole ship a buzz. At breakfast in the captain's mess, Trip was no less curious, eager to know why and where the Enterprise was going after they picked up their guest.
Between bits of scrabbled egg and toast, the blonde-haired engineer made polite conversation with his friend. While talking about the latest water polo scores and new projects in the engine room, Jon was interacting with both he and T'Pol in a casual manner. Trip, however was dying to have his friend bring up the topic of this mission. He had hesitated bringing it up, but having run out of things to speak about, the eager young man finally gave up and crossed that line. "Capt'n, What are we doin? I mean why are we going all the way back to Vulcan to pick up Soval and where are we heading after that?" Archer chuckled dipping his head so that his smirk was hidden behind the slice of toast he held in mid-air.
"Come on Capt'n… This is most curious. Don't keep us in the dark… You know what our orders are. Are we heading into a hazardous situation?" Trip picked up and sipped from a coffee mug while he allowed his commanding officer to give an answer. T'Pol sat there in silence sipping her plomek broth and chamomile tea. She didn't stop or look up while her bondmate continued to try and pry information from the captain. When Jon wasn't forthcoming with the information, Trip decided to play a guessing game. "Okay, if you don't want to tell us the details, can you at least let us know if we are getting close if we guess?" Archer looked from Tucker to T'Pol and back. "Are we picking up Soval for some kind of diplomatic mission?" Jon didn't answer. He took another bite of his toast and loaded a slice of sausage on his fork. Frustrated Trip continued. "Does this have something to do with the Romulans?" He remembered his and Malcolm's incident on the drone, as they spent their time expecting not to survive that mission. Still the captain went on with his eating. "Come on Capt'n, just give us a little something."
Finally, Archer broke his silence. "Trip, we are going to Vulcan to pick up Councilman Soval. He will then brief us on our mission." Jon took a sip from his steaming mug. "I am not holding anything back from you. I haven't been briefed more than that. When I am, I will let you both know what you need to complete your duties." The captain finished this statement with another bite of egg. Trip showed his frustration in his face, his hands adjusting the napkin on his lap somewhat determinedly. "I thought that the High Command stopped holding things back from us after the Romulan situation. This has gotta make you mad." He stabbed at a rather large glob of eggs and put them into his mouth in a quick, rough motion. He continued to comment on the subject while he chewed the yellow fluffy substance. "Don't they understand they are making it hard for us to trust them when they….." Trip was cut off by Jon's hand coming up. "Trip, the reason we don't know the mission yet is because Soval is coming here to brief me. They didn't want to discuss this over a message due to the fact that they are not sure they have gotten rid of all the Romulan infiltrators. They are not trying to keep things from us. Now let's give this subject a rest." The engineer nodded and returned to stabbing at his link sausage. Archer turned his attention to the overly silent science officer.
"T'Pol, I understand we will be getting some new crewman from the embassy. Why would they be there instead of Star Fleet?" The captain was happy to get off Trip's obsession. "According to their files, they just completed a survival course in the T'Kara province. It was the last training exercise they needed prior to being assigned to their new postings. Two of them will become part of Enterprise's crew, the other two are only aboard for a few months for tactical training before they get assigned to Columbia." The Vulcan handed the pad she always carried with her across the table to the captain. She had the new recruits' names and bios pulled up for him to review.
"So we have a Petty officer 1st class Matthew Henderson. Looks like he will be assigned to you T'Pol." "Yes, he shows an aptitude in the sciences, technologies, and analysis. Star Fleet believes he would be a good addition to our science and data collection teams." The Vulcan held her tea in front of her mouth as she spoke. "What about this Ensign 2nd class Gerald Tavers?" Archer asked. It was Trip who spoke up on this one. "Gerry Tavers, he has training in armory and tactical systems. He will be working with Malcolm prior to his transfer to Columbia." Archer nodded his understanding then went back to looking at the list. "Petty Officer 2nd class Mimi Saunders? Looks like she will be working in engineering. She has experience in warp theory?" Jon questioned that a woman would want an assignment to the engine room. While there were a few women that enjoyed working with warp mechanics, it was a rarity to find female crewmen that asked to be assigned to that department. They usually suffered through their required training and counted the days until they could get moved to their next department. Trip smiled a little sharing his preconception. "She is another of our three-month trainees. Apparently, her father is some big wig in the warp production plant outside of Tulsa. She spent her childhood playing with impulse and warp prototypes. I'm hoping she learned the basics at least." Trip smirked. "I hope you're right." Jon joined in on the joke. He looked back to the list and continued. "So Ensign 2nd class Jonathan Myers, what is his story?" T'Pol answered this one. "Communications… He has served on many Star Fleet freighters, and went back to train on translation and communication systems. He is fluent in 6 languages and has experience with the universal translator." Jon smiled at this one. "Looks like Hoshi will have someone new to talk to, don't you think?" Trip chuckled along with his friend. T'Pol simply nodded. The rest of their breakfast was spent making light conversation. Afterward, all went about their duties.
It was another 5 days before they reached Vulcan. To save time, Councilman Soval was transported to the Enterprise from the planet surface. He was met at the airlock by Jon, T'Pol and Trip. Secretly the young engineer was worried that with those sensitive Vulcan empathic powers, the ambassador turned councilman might pick up on his and T'Pol's connection, just like T'Les did when they visited Vulcan. T'Pol assured him over and over again that because Soval was not part of her parental bond, he wouldn't be able to sense their connection like her mother could. Still Trip thought it best to keep his distance from the man, and tried to direct his thoughts away from his mate and toward the new crewmembers that followed the councilman through the portal.
The four new recruits stood at attention behind the senior Vulcan as Archer went about greeting their guest. "Councilman… It is good to see you again." The usually stoic alien seemed much more at ease with this group than in the past. "It is agreeable to see you as well Captain." He turned to Trip "Commander" and nodded respectfully. Looking finally to T'Pol, he spoke a Vulcan greeting of familiarity. "Nam-tor du muhl?" At first Trip was a bit put off how the elder spoke with his mate in a language he didn't know, but in his mind, he heard the translation, "Are you well?" Being able to know what was said lessened his uneasiness.
T'Pol returned "Ha heh du?" ("Yes and you"). Hearing this Trip realized his mate and her senior advisor were simply exchanging proper communication. To this Soval simply nodded. It was Jon's time to become a good host. He offered to see the councilman to his quarters while he left Trip and T'Pol to manage their new recruits. When the captain and Soval rounded the corner and disappeared down the passageway, the bond mates turned to look at the array of new talent that remained at attention. In front of them were four humans, three males and one female. They wore regulation blue jumpsuit uniforms with standard star fleet caps. The brims of the hats covered much of their facial features. Trip turned to T'Pol to begin the standard information session before they split them into two groups and got them settled into their assigned cabins.
The Vulcan stood shoulders back and head facing directly forward. Since Trip liked her hair longer, she didn't get the standard Vulcan cut, but rather wore it shoulder length, either tied back at the top only or in a French bun to the back of her cranium. Today, it was totally up, giving a solid military look. "Welcome to the Enterprise." She began and walked back and forth in front of them assessing them for any regulatory issues. She found none, but didn't see anything too impressive about any of them either. All three males were taller than her by at least 6 inches. Ensign Saunders was slightly taller but she kept her head downward, the shadow from her brim and baggy uniform hiding the fact that she resembled a runway model. T'Pol noted her stance and wondered if it was shyness or simply inexperience. She made a note to speak with her mate about this issue so he could follow up. She continued. "While you are aboard, you will follow all the rules and regulations of Star Fleet and the ship's specific requirements. In your quarters there will be a training manual that spells out these rules. I suggest you invest your free time studying it. We will be taking you to your assigned cabins and you will have a chance to work with your mentors to get oriented to the ship. Starting tomorrow 06 hundred hours, you will begin your first training shift. I expect you to be on time, in the correct location, and dress to perform your duties, it that clear?" The group, still standing rock stiff belted out in unison, "Yes Ma'am". She turned to face Trip. "This is Commander Tucker. He is part of the ship's executive command staff. He will be assisting me to get you to your cabins." The Vulcan looked at her pad. "Saunders and Tavers, you will accompany me. Henderson and Myers, you will go with Commander Tucker and he will get you to your housing assignments." Trip raised his hand indicating for his two males to follow him. They broke left down the passageway. T'Pol moved her female and male down to the right. All the recruits carried their belongings in large Star Fleet issued canvas bags draped over their shoulders. When each recruit got to their quarters, they were introduced to their bunk mates and allowed to have a few hours to get unpacked. Their room mates were charged with giving them a tour of the necessary areas (sickbay, mess hall, gym, different departments, etc). At 21 hundred hours, the group was to meet with the captain and two commanders for more orientation before they turned in for the day.
It was about 18 hundred hours and Trip made his way through the mess hall to the Captain's dining room. He was cleaned up, having freshly showered, shaved and spritzed. The engineer didn't want to offend the councilman's sensitive nose, seeing as how he had spent his last 9 months solely on Vulcan. Hair quaffed, and nails polished clean, he adjusted his jumpsuit zipper to its highest position just after coming through the mess hall door. Walking through the full room, Trip got the frequent "Hi Commander" and "Gotta seat here for ya, Commander" seeing as how he was one of the most popular people aboard. But between acknowledging their greetings and explaining "he was having dinner with the boss" Trip managed to get through the room without any issues. The engineer did look for the new recruits and found the three males sitting at a table with two other female crew. Petty officer 2nd class Saunders was seated at a table in the center of the room with about 5 male crewmen all vying for her favor, laughing at her comments and bringing her anything she wanted. Saunders, now cap off, hair down and wearing off duty attire that was more revealing than one of T'Pol's catsuits, was also getting agitated looks from the other female crewmembers, as most of the men taking interest in her were previously vying for their attentions before she showed up.
'Oh Crap!' Trip thought loud enough to get through their bond." T'Pol, already in the captain's mess with Jon and Soval, responded mentally to see what her mate was concerned about. 'Is there something the matter, Thy'll?' Trip heard her return and quickly considered how much he should tell her about what he saw. If he told her about the hot new woman that will be working with him in engineering, he would have another Amanda Cole situation on his hands. Not wanting to have his bond mate get jealous, he replied 'Nothing, I just forgot to put on my commanders rank emblem when I got changed this evening.' It only took a moment for him to hear T'Pol communicate back 'No matter please come join us, the meal is about to be served.'
Trip felt he handled that issue for now, but knew once T'Pol got a good look at this woman, things wouldn't be so calm. He wondered how he could keep his distance from the recruit for the next three months, but decided assigning her to his second in command Kivers was a good start. The engineer entered the room and moved to take his seat at the table in front of the portal. T'Pol was seated across from Archer, leaving Soval facing Trip. In a small way, the blond-haired human was nervous with this important Vulcan figure staring him down. To his surprise, the meal went smoothly, as the councilman began to fill the group in on the mission. He told them about the new base they want to establish outside the Coridan system, near the outskirts of the Romulan border. The base, would also include a space port for merchants and ship repair station. The reason for the mission is to meet with the Tellerite, Coridan, and Dominon representatives to negotiate the terms. The planet Tessan III's fourth moon would be the place for a military base to be built. The councilman went on to explain the reason regarding the strategic location for the space port. The Vulcan High Council had been meeting with members of several neighboring species and Star Fleet in establishing a neutral zone from this site to Romulan space. This project was due to many reports of raids on surrounding worlds and ships committed by vessels with Birds of Pry painted on their hulls. In order to decrease the chance of war with the Romulan people, Soval had been brought into these negotiates and others with a Romulan representative Admiral Valdore. While military, Valdore was also a member of the council of Romulas which was cited for the actions of the Tal Shiar in sending Romulan operatives to infiltrate the Vulcan home world. This neutral zone of sorts was their solution to decrease tensions in the area.
"So, we are dealing with Romulans." Trip's voice showed the resentment he still felt for his time aboard the drone and near-death experience. "Yes, that is why T'Pau wanted all communications to be in person. Even if we have found all the operatives, we cannot be sure they are not monitoring communications between the High Command and the other neighboring members of the Alpha quadrant. The meetings have been in person, mostly on Vulcan."
"Very logical," T'Pol spoke up knowing their precautions were needed due to the covert surveillance capabilities of the Romulan Empire. "A neutral zone will go a long way toward protecting that part of the Alpha quadrant." Jon put down his ice tea and asked, "What will be Enterprise's role in this mission, aside from bringing you to the negotiations?"
"You will be there to provide for the delegate's safety. We are not sure that meeting all of them on any one of their home worlds would be doable, so we will hold negotiations aboard Enterprise. This will be a moving platform which will make it difficult to target the location of the summit." As Soval laid out their plan for the success of this mission, Archer simply nodded and took another sip of his tea. Trip's face denoted his interest as he realized this meant another hazardous situation for his beloved ship. He wondered how smart it was to have the new trainee's aboard during this time, but didn't feel this was the time to question Star Fleet's decision.
At the 21 hundred hours meeting, the four recruits were all back in clean standard issue jumpsuits. Petty office 2nd class Saunders (also referred to as crewman because she was not yet commissioned but had graduated the academy) had her hair back up in a tight bun at the top of her head. Trip convinced T'Pol, he and Archer could take care of this, which allowed her to meet privately with Soval to catch up. When Jon entered the conference room door, he noticed the striking look of the woman even in the baggy uniform she wore. 'This wasn't a good idea,' the captain thought knowing she would be almost as big a distraction to the males in the crew as the Orion slave women were. Trip stepped up to the line of trainees standing at attention. "At ease." He stated and motioned for them to take a seat. "This is Captain Jonathan Archer." Trip turned to his friend and pointed to each of the recruits one at a time. "Captain, this is Petty Officer 1st class Henderson, Petty Office 2nd class Saunders, Ensigns 2nd class Myers and Tavers."
"Welcome aboard the Enterprise" Jon started with a friendly tone. "We hope your training will help to prepare you for your future assignments whether they are on this ship or the Columbia. It is important that you listen to your training officers, senior and command staff not only to do well in your duties but to stay alive." Trip noted that his friend was about to play the 'we are badass" card. "It is no secret that the Enterprise has seen its share of action and we will not be slowing down during your training. It is critical that you learn and listen to orders. Working as a cohesive team is the secret to Enterprise's success. In our missions to come, we need everyone at their readiest. This means you too." Archer's finger pointed to each one of them to accentuate his statement. "While you are on duty, you follow orders and perform your responsibilities, is that clear?" The group responded "Aye Sir!". The captain returned with "Good, dismissed. And again, Welcome aboard."
Back in T'Pol's quarters, Soval and his protégé had a brief check in prior to going to his quarters for nightly meditation and rest. "You look well." The senior Vulcan started. "I am functioning adequately. I have recovered fully from my time down on the gas giant." T'Pol assumed her counsel had checked up on her recent event. "You and Commander Tucker spent a lot of time together in those caverns. It is fortunate the two of you were able to function cohesively to survive." The science officer noticed he was fishing for something and was concerned it was what her mate feared about. "Yes, we worked like a very skilled team. It helped us get through the mission with little lasting injury." "You were injured. Was Commander Tucker able to help you medically?" The senior Vulcan was using his empathic ability to sense her underlying feelings about the blond commander. "Yes, with the basic medical supplies we had. He splinted my break that allowed me to function more easily." Now T'Pol was sure he was looking for something. In many ways, after her father's death, Soval had been like a second father, guiding and advising her throughout her secondary schooling and into her military career, even to the Ministry of Security. He was the one who convinced her to join the ambassador program after her treatment at P'Jem. She had mixed feelings for him now, as the elder Vulcan tried to unearth the feelings she was undoubtedly letting slip regarding her mate.
"It was fortunate that you were there together. Alone, either one of you would have had less chance to survive" The councilman knew there was some underlying truth, but could sense her becoming more anxious at his questioning. He decided to continue this later, and excused himself to go back to his quarters to meditate. After he left, T'Pol changed into her silk PJs, set up the room and candles to do the same. She was deep in meditation when Trip reached out to her through their bond. He found her in that plain white space, and came up to sit behind her as they often did. He put his arms about her waist and felt a soft relief come through her to his heart. Even though her bondmate was in his quarters changing to spend time in her place tonight, he was able to be there through their bond. "Hey beautiful lady. Have a nice chat with Soval?" with this he could sense her tensing up. "Uh oh, did something go wrong?" By this point Trip could read his mate's mood with little more than a thought. "Did he ask you about us?" T'Pol opened her eyes and looked back at her mate. She reached up and touched his face in this plain white space.
"He asked me about our being marooned on the ice giant. He was thankful that you were with me to help insure my survival." His mate stated the truth but left out about the fact she felt he was fishing. "And….." Trip's uneasiness came back. "And nothing, we only spoke about our time in the caves and your providing me with first aid." "WHOOO." Trip let out a sign and eased back on his legs. "I'll let you get back to your meditation. I am gonna grab a quick shower and be by in an hour." Her mate stood back up. Towering over her, he looked down at T'Pol. "I love you." Then he disappeared. As promised, Trip slipped into her quarters, luckily while her neighbor was on late shift. They spent the rest of the evening working on their bond through intimate contact. The young engineer left for his cabin at 04 hundred when T'Pol got up to start her day.
05:30 AM found T'Pol in line to get her broth and tea. Trip came in, hair still damp and got in line behind her. "Morning Commander." They played it cool for the audience. Crewmen that had early AM meetings were just filing into the room, including our new recruits. They passed the two commanders in line, and nodded a good morning to them, all but crewman Saunders. Instead, the young woman, in her blue baggy jumpsuit and a long pony tail, turned to the blond engineer she was going to be working with and replied. "Good morning, Commander Tucker. I look forward to working with you in engineering today." Trip's face was like he wanted to hide. He returned a "Morning Crewman" and pushed T'Pol forward in the line. This was the first time the Vulcan had seen the woman without her camouflage. Her stark beauty concerned her but her mate's nervousness worried her even more. Trip got nervous mostly because their bond was unusually quiet. Normally in line for breakfast, they held a continual conversation from what they did the night before to what they have on their schedule to do for that day. The quiet growing between them, was getting to her mate more and more. The group of recruits had long since moved to the end of the line. Finally, he couldn't take it any longer. 'I guess I should have mentioned about her appearance. I just didn't want you to feel upset. I have already decided to have Kivers train her.'
T'Pol considered the information her mate shared with her through their bond. It was 2 long minutes before she responded to him. 'Do you think she is beautiful?' Trip might have been recently married through this bond, but he was no dummy. He knew that was a loaded question. 'Honey, I only have eyes for you. I don't even consider her looks. She is just another crewman. I would have her transferred out of engineering if that wasn't her requested department.' Trip felt he couldn't stop explaining, due to his guilt at not telling her the day before. Finally T'Pol answered back, 'She will be a huge distraction. Do you have a plan to keep the male compliment of the ship from taking interest in her looks?'
'Don't I know it. Last evening in the mess hall, she was drawing male crewmen like flies to honey.' Trip didn't realize his use of that term concerned his mate. 'You are referring to her as honey? Has she tried to interfere with our bond?' 'No, No, No, No, No…. not at all.' The southern male went into overdrive trying to undo his last slip. 'She hasn't done anything other than say Hi to me just now. I meant that when she was in the mess hall last evening, she had quite a few male crewmen around her.' Cook handed the Vulcan her bowl of broth and Trip his plate of eggs. They moved off to a corner table. The new blond female recruit watched with great interest how the two of them did everything together. 'Hummmm.'
Malcolm was up early and reviewing things in the armory when his new recruit showed up. The time was 06:04AM and the Brit was all over it. "Ensign Tavers, I presume. Your shift started at 06 hundred hours." Reed stood at least 4 inches shorter than the dark-haired male. The recruit looked down at the Lieutenant but it didn't phase him. Malcolm stood straight, head up and chest out as he spoke. "You will be ready to begin your shift at the designated time, is that understood Ensign?"
"Aye, Sir" Tavers' response was soft, no force or energy coming with it. To anyone around, they could tell this man didn't respect Malcolm's authority. The Brit wasn't accepting a disrespectful answer and repeated. "Do you understand me Ensign." His voice was more authoritarian. This got the newbie to repeat properly. "AYE, SIR"
"Very good," Malcolm let the man know he would be kept to the rules and regulations. He waved to his second in command in the armory, Ensign 1st class Coleman. "Tavers, your training office is Ensign Coleman. He is highly skilled in all weapons and tactical systems. I suggest you make the most of your time with us and learn all you can from this officer. Dismissed." Reed turned and went back to checking out the phase cannon ports, ignoring the look Tavers gave him as Ensign Coleman led him away. 'He thinks he is such a big man. I can take him,' Gerry thought dreaming about his first chance to spar with the armory office.
Up on the bridge, it was almost noon. The two other recruits were sitting with their training officers. At the communication's station, Hoshi and the charming Ensign 2nd class Myers were enjoying talking in many different languages. He frequently made comments about the linguist's knowledge of Klingon and Denobulan. While Myers knew Vulcan, his other languages were earth based, but it didn't stop Hoshi from helping him stay fluent in them. "Gaano ka nakaranas ng mga sistema ng tagasalin?" (How experienced are you with translator programs?" Hoshi's tagalog was flawless. "'IHta Hghach vIchenmo Hpu'bogh vIghajbej." Myers answered slowly in his best Klingon however he answered incorrectly. Hoshi corrected him. "It is 'I have some but could learn more, not eat more.' " She giggled and let him know that it took her more than 4 hours to learn Klingon too, not to let little set backs disturb him.
Meanwhile, T'Pol's recruit was innocent, southern and totally enthralled with how smart the Vulcan was. Everything she showed him about data monitoring and scanning, was met with "That's incredible Ma'am. Thank you for training me on it. It is so interesting." The taller dirty blond male hunched over the science officer's shoulder to be able to see through her visor. While very young, T'Pol could sense no underlying agenda from Crewman Henderson. She felt nothing but true fascination and eagerness to learn coming from him, so she put up with his close proximity to keep his enthusiasm for training at a higher level. The two recruits training was turning into quite a show, Travis and the other bridge crew kept stifling their chuckles and smirks. Archer, having seen the training, moved to his ready room to speak with Soval in a less amusing environment.
Malcolm and Trip came to the bridge to pick up their dates for lunch. Neither admitted to the fact they were picking up the women they were interested in. Trip usually stopped by to invite the science officer to a working lunch and Malcolm would drop by and ask Hoshi if she would be interested in going together to the mess hall before it got too busy. However, today they found their lunch mates currently engaged in training. Malcolm saw Hoshi and her trainee laughing and speaking to each other in different languages. Trip found a tall blond haired male leaning into his mate's shoulder sharing a visor and constantly giving the woman compliments in a thicker southern accent than he had. Both officers were stopped in their tracks just in front of the lift. Trip and Malcolm were a bit more than a little miffed at the new intruders who were getting in the way of them courting their ladies.
Part 2 out soon. TLR