A Tryst for Two (Chap 2)
By vandiver49
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with Star Trek, I'm just borrowing them for a moment. Please don't sue; people in the Navy don't make that much money.
Sorry for the delay, occasionally duty calls, this isn't my day job you know.
Thanks to stubadingdong and THECURSOR for the wonderful advice. I hope the grammar and descriptions are to your liking.
Flashbacks are between the ////////////////////
_________________________________
T'Pol gazed out the viewport of the transport, watching the stars streak by in the night sky. It had been so long since she had seen that effect on light, a surreal reminder of her past. So much had changed in the galaxy since she left it. Humanity had proven itself to be a worthy spacefaring race, a fact that even Vulcans were forced to concede. As they were unable to stifle humanity's growth any longer, Vulcans had to accept the painful truth that humans were their equals as well. Terrans had achieved in a few centuries what it and taken her people a millennium to master. But these facts came as no surprise to T'Pol; her time abroad Enterprise gave her a clarity and insight into Humans that few Vulcans would ever realize.
The first year proved to be the most difficult as she had to adjust to her new environs. There was the smell of course, but that was a minor inconvenience and was easily remedied. Other things, such as the raw emotions and the illogical ideology of her shipmates proved far more difficult to accept. She initially thought her purpose onboard was useless as many of her recommendations of caution and patience fell upon deaf ears. There were numerous occasions when Captain Archer and his crew would follow their whims, resulting in ship and her crew being placed into some precarious situations. But over time, T'Pol began to understand their haste and why they never accepted complacency. In her time onboard she watched the humble ship grow with each innovation. Malcolm continued to tinker with his prototype energy shield, eventually incorporating it into the hull polarization system to create the first force field. Hoshi, after several frustrating attempts, finally created an algorithm to perfect the Universal Translator. And of course there was a most creative idea proposed by the ship's Chief Engineer.
///////////////////////
"I'm tellin' you Captain it'll work, I swear." Trip pleaded emphatically to his Captain and First Officer. A schematic of the warp nacelles on the central display enhanced the illumination of the Ready Room, and hopefully Trip's idea.
"Well just for my own edification, run it by me one more time." Jon replied.
"It's like this Captain, currently, when we go into warp, only the inner surface of the warp coils come into contact with the plasma, but if we saturate the warp nacelles with plasma before going into warp, we can double the surface area, thus producing a stronger warp field."
Though Jon didn't thoroughly grasp the physics behind Trip's theory, he completely understood the possibilities. "So bottom line Trip, how fast are we talking about?"
"Warp 6," He replied. Jon initially looked crestfallen until Trip completed his train of thought. "Without the turbochargers."
"And with?" The Captain asked anxiously.
"Warp 7 sir, maybe even Warp 8 Lord willin'."
Jon tried to contain his glee as he turned towards his First Officer. "Well T'Pol, what do you think?"
Her thoughts long since collected, T'Pol's response was very succinct. "Commander Tucker's theory is quite intriguing and does seem plausible. But it is an experiment that is best saved for Starfleet Research and Development, not the Enterprise." Neither man was surprised by her answer.
The Captain turned his attention back towards the Chief Engineer. "What's the worst case scenario Trip?"
"Worst case, we'll blow a couple of warp coils and be stranded until we affect repairs."
The thought of being stranded didn't assuage Jon's convictions, much to T'Pol's chagrin. "I think that those are acceptable risks, when do you think you'll be ready?"
"A couple hours, three tops." Trip said as the three rose to leave the ready room.
"Captain, may I accompany Commander Tucker to Engineering to provide assistance since you insist on pursuing this foolish endeavor?" T'Pol asked, seeing as how she was going to be ignored once again.
"Sure T'Pol, knock yourself out." The Captain replied.
On the turbolift down to Engineering, T'Pol continued to question Trip's motives. "Commander, why do you find it necessary to exceed the rated specifications of the ships' engines?"
"Cuz T'Pol, I just have a need for speed, that's all."
"I am familiar with that human desire," T'Pol said begrudgingly, "But why not patiently wait until that technology is created; why force it?"
"Because, I don't have the luxury of living for 200 years like you do. I'd like to see one our ships fly as a Vulcan one within my lifetime." Trip countered.
"That brings me to my second query Commander. While I cannot go into the specifics, I can tell you that Vulcan starships have twice the power output of this vessel. How can you possibly believe Enterprise will achieve such velocities without that advantage?"
"Oh that's simple; it's all in the hips." Trip said as he mimicked T'Pol's hourglass form in front of her with his hands. His lightly chauvinistic comment yielded an arched eyebrow and a curious glare from the Vulcan.
"C'mon T'Pol," Trip smiled in response to her confusion, "Haven't you ever wondered why Enterprise has a saucer shaped design?"
T'Pol's retort was uncharacteristically jovial. "No Commander, I always assumed it was a tribute to the Terran fascination with alien visitation and abduction in your late 20th Century. UFO's, I believed they were called."
"Oh here we go again, pickin' on the illogical and irrational humans." Trip said in mock irritation. "For your information, the design is one of the reasons why we can travel at Warp 5 in the first place."
As the two exited the turbolift, Trip continued to expound upon his theory. "Its like this Sub-Commander, the saucer section helps to create two warp fields around the ship, a primary node around the Engineering section and a sympathetic one around the saucer."
"So the power that is put into the primary node is reflected into the secondary node." T'Pol deduced.
"Exactly."
Though he was human, she had to admit that Commander Tucker was the most capable engineer she had ever met. And somehow he had managed to even convince her that his dream was more than plausible. T'Pol spent the better part of two hours helping Trip align the plasma injectors and check coolant levels, all in preparation for the big event. Amidst the chaotic sounds in Engineering, T'Pol stood on the catwalk, straining to her Commander Tucker's instructions.
"T'Pol, go ahead and open the plasma intake manifold all the way." He yelled from a distant part of Engineering.
Commander, I do not believe we will be able to cool the warp nacelle effectively if we continue to inject plasma into them at this rate."
"Don't worry about it, if it gets too hot we'll just vent to space." He replied as he jumped up the stairs, joining T'Pol on the catwalk.
"Archer to Engineering. Trip, are you ready down there?"
"Yes sir, whenever you're ready. Just make sure to tell everyone to hold on, the inertial dampeners weren't made to handle this kind of acceleration."
"Got it Trip, Archer out."
T'Pol stood on the catwalk with Trip as Enterprise prepared once again to make history. The ship leapt forward in the darkness of space, hurtling towards its destiny upon the imagination of the Chief Engineer. She recalled how the ship caviated violently as it reached Warp 5, only to transition into a soothing cruise at Warp 6. She didn't even remember when the ship reached Warp 7; a memory as blurred as the stars outside. Warp 8 was clearly marked though by the cheers and adulations that went up from Engineering and throughout the ship. And T'Pol simply couldn't forget how Trip decided to share his jubilation. She was completely taken by surprise when he scooped her up off the ground, twirling her all around the catwalk in celebration. Trip hadn't realized the ramifications of his actions until he opened his eyes and found himself starring directly at T'Pol's.assets. Fortunately for the both of them their little display had gone unnoticed.
"Uh, sorry T'Pol, I got a little excited there."
"Understandable Commander, but I believe it would be advisable for you to put me down before we become a spectacle."
/////////////////////
T'Pol closed eyes and turned her attention back towards her daughter, who was reading a PADD. Her name provided only a small hint of her unique personality. Her brown hair was cropped at a modest length against the contours of her face; her bangs striated in a disorderly fashion upon her brow. The apex of her ears peaked imperceptivity through the strands, barely belying her Vulcan heritage. Her daughter was completely enthralled with alien civilizations, especially the rich and diverse cultures of Earth. She was fluent in English, Chinese, Spanish, Klingon and Andorian and was the youngest Vulcan liaison to ever be assigned to the Terran Embassy there. In a way, Miranda reminded T'Pol of a younger version of herself, except that her daughter was quite comfortable with her quirks and idiosyncrasies, something T'Pol had only recently come to embrace. She watched as her daughter's eyes darted back and forth across the PADD, a clear indication that whatever she was reading was in English.
"What are you reading Miranda?"
Her daughter looked up from her PADD before answering. "I'm reading a tourist's guide to San Francisco."
Miranda watched her mother's eyebrow raise skyward in response. "Mother, I don't understand why you refuse to use contractions."
"Because they are slang terms Miranda, but that is not the point. You are going to Earth to be an aid in the Vulcan consulate, a much-esteemed position. I believe you should be more focused on that than what 'sight- seeing' you plan to do."
"Mother, you know what humans say about all work and no play."
"Yes, I am quite familiar with the phase, but Vulcans do not 'play'."
"This from one with a three dimensional chess set." Miranda countered.
T'Pol could only sigh in defeat at her daughter's righteousness. It was more than apparent Miranda had also inherited her mother's wry sense of humor.
"Mother, may I ask you a question?" T'Pol instantly knew from this leading question that her daughter's next query would more than likely pertain her past.
"Yes Miranda, what would you like to know?"
"Who's the human standing next to you in the picture?"
"Commander Charles Tucker III. He was the Chief Engineer on Enterprise."
"No Mother, I know his name and what his position was. I want to know who he was to you." It was rare for Miranda to ever ask about T'Pol's personal life, she knew it was something her mother closely guarded and rarely shared with anyone, including herself.
"T'Pol closed her eyes before responding. "He was a friend Miranda, quite possibly my best. If not for him, you would not be here today."
Though she was tempted to pry further into her mother's past, she thought better of it. "You know Mother; we will be staying on Earth for almost a month. Why not go visit him?"
"No Miranda, I cannot." T'Pol quickly dismissed.
"Can't or won't?"
"Both."
By vandiver49
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with Star Trek, I'm just borrowing them for a moment. Please don't sue; people in the Navy don't make that much money.
Sorry for the delay, occasionally duty calls, this isn't my day job you know.
Thanks to stubadingdong and THECURSOR for the wonderful advice. I hope the grammar and descriptions are to your liking.
Flashbacks are between the ////////////////////
_________________________________
T'Pol gazed out the viewport of the transport, watching the stars streak by in the night sky. It had been so long since she had seen that effect on light, a surreal reminder of her past. So much had changed in the galaxy since she left it. Humanity had proven itself to be a worthy spacefaring race, a fact that even Vulcans were forced to concede. As they were unable to stifle humanity's growth any longer, Vulcans had to accept the painful truth that humans were their equals as well. Terrans had achieved in a few centuries what it and taken her people a millennium to master. But these facts came as no surprise to T'Pol; her time abroad Enterprise gave her a clarity and insight into Humans that few Vulcans would ever realize.
The first year proved to be the most difficult as she had to adjust to her new environs. There was the smell of course, but that was a minor inconvenience and was easily remedied. Other things, such as the raw emotions and the illogical ideology of her shipmates proved far more difficult to accept. She initially thought her purpose onboard was useless as many of her recommendations of caution and patience fell upon deaf ears. There were numerous occasions when Captain Archer and his crew would follow their whims, resulting in ship and her crew being placed into some precarious situations. But over time, T'Pol began to understand their haste and why they never accepted complacency. In her time onboard she watched the humble ship grow with each innovation. Malcolm continued to tinker with his prototype energy shield, eventually incorporating it into the hull polarization system to create the first force field. Hoshi, after several frustrating attempts, finally created an algorithm to perfect the Universal Translator. And of course there was a most creative idea proposed by the ship's Chief Engineer.
///////////////////////
"I'm tellin' you Captain it'll work, I swear." Trip pleaded emphatically to his Captain and First Officer. A schematic of the warp nacelles on the central display enhanced the illumination of the Ready Room, and hopefully Trip's idea.
"Well just for my own edification, run it by me one more time." Jon replied.
"It's like this Captain, currently, when we go into warp, only the inner surface of the warp coils come into contact with the plasma, but if we saturate the warp nacelles with plasma before going into warp, we can double the surface area, thus producing a stronger warp field."
Though Jon didn't thoroughly grasp the physics behind Trip's theory, he completely understood the possibilities. "So bottom line Trip, how fast are we talking about?"
"Warp 6," He replied. Jon initially looked crestfallen until Trip completed his train of thought. "Without the turbochargers."
"And with?" The Captain asked anxiously.
"Warp 7 sir, maybe even Warp 8 Lord willin'."
Jon tried to contain his glee as he turned towards his First Officer. "Well T'Pol, what do you think?"
Her thoughts long since collected, T'Pol's response was very succinct. "Commander Tucker's theory is quite intriguing and does seem plausible. But it is an experiment that is best saved for Starfleet Research and Development, not the Enterprise." Neither man was surprised by her answer.
The Captain turned his attention back towards the Chief Engineer. "What's the worst case scenario Trip?"
"Worst case, we'll blow a couple of warp coils and be stranded until we affect repairs."
The thought of being stranded didn't assuage Jon's convictions, much to T'Pol's chagrin. "I think that those are acceptable risks, when do you think you'll be ready?"
"A couple hours, three tops." Trip said as the three rose to leave the ready room.
"Captain, may I accompany Commander Tucker to Engineering to provide assistance since you insist on pursuing this foolish endeavor?" T'Pol asked, seeing as how she was going to be ignored once again.
"Sure T'Pol, knock yourself out." The Captain replied.
On the turbolift down to Engineering, T'Pol continued to question Trip's motives. "Commander, why do you find it necessary to exceed the rated specifications of the ships' engines?"
"Cuz T'Pol, I just have a need for speed, that's all."
"I am familiar with that human desire," T'Pol said begrudgingly, "But why not patiently wait until that technology is created; why force it?"
"Because, I don't have the luxury of living for 200 years like you do. I'd like to see one our ships fly as a Vulcan one within my lifetime." Trip countered.
"That brings me to my second query Commander. While I cannot go into the specifics, I can tell you that Vulcan starships have twice the power output of this vessel. How can you possibly believe Enterprise will achieve such velocities without that advantage?"
"Oh that's simple; it's all in the hips." Trip said as he mimicked T'Pol's hourglass form in front of her with his hands. His lightly chauvinistic comment yielded an arched eyebrow and a curious glare from the Vulcan.
"C'mon T'Pol," Trip smiled in response to her confusion, "Haven't you ever wondered why Enterprise has a saucer shaped design?"
T'Pol's retort was uncharacteristically jovial. "No Commander, I always assumed it was a tribute to the Terran fascination with alien visitation and abduction in your late 20th Century. UFO's, I believed they were called."
"Oh here we go again, pickin' on the illogical and irrational humans." Trip said in mock irritation. "For your information, the design is one of the reasons why we can travel at Warp 5 in the first place."
As the two exited the turbolift, Trip continued to expound upon his theory. "Its like this Sub-Commander, the saucer section helps to create two warp fields around the ship, a primary node around the Engineering section and a sympathetic one around the saucer."
"So the power that is put into the primary node is reflected into the secondary node." T'Pol deduced.
"Exactly."
Though he was human, she had to admit that Commander Tucker was the most capable engineer she had ever met. And somehow he had managed to even convince her that his dream was more than plausible. T'Pol spent the better part of two hours helping Trip align the plasma injectors and check coolant levels, all in preparation for the big event. Amidst the chaotic sounds in Engineering, T'Pol stood on the catwalk, straining to her Commander Tucker's instructions.
"T'Pol, go ahead and open the plasma intake manifold all the way." He yelled from a distant part of Engineering.
Commander, I do not believe we will be able to cool the warp nacelle effectively if we continue to inject plasma into them at this rate."
"Don't worry about it, if it gets too hot we'll just vent to space." He replied as he jumped up the stairs, joining T'Pol on the catwalk.
"Archer to Engineering. Trip, are you ready down there?"
"Yes sir, whenever you're ready. Just make sure to tell everyone to hold on, the inertial dampeners weren't made to handle this kind of acceleration."
"Got it Trip, Archer out."
T'Pol stood on the catwalk with Trip as Enterprise prepared once again to make history. The ship leapt forward in the darkness of space, hurtling towards its destiny upon the imagination of the Chief Engineer. She recalled how the ship caviated violently as it reached Warp 5, only to transition into a soothing cruise at Warp 6. She didn't even remember when the ship reached Warp 7; a memory as blurred as the stars outside. Warp 8 was clearly marked though by the cheers and adulations that went up from Engineering and throughout the ship. And T'Pol simply couldn't forget how Trip decided to share his jubilation. She was completely taken by surprise when he scooped her up off the ground, twirling her all around the catwalk in celebration. Trip hadn't realized the ramifications of his actions until he opened his eyes and found himself starring directly at T'Pol's.assets. Fortunately for the both of them their little display had gone unnoticed.
"Uh, sorry T'Pol, I got a little excited there."
"Understandable Commander, but I believe it would be advisable for you to put me down before we become a spectacle."
/////////////////////
T'Pol closed eyes and turned her attention back towards her daughter, who was reading a PADD. Her name provided only a small hint of her unique personality. Her brown hair was cropped at a modest length against the contours of her face; her bangs striated in a disorderly fashion upon her brow. The apex of her ears peaked imperceptivity through the strands, barely belying her Vulcan heritage. Her daughter was completely enthralled with alien civilizations, especially the rich and diverse cultures of Earth. She was fluent in English, Chinese, Spanish, Klingon and Andorian and was the youngest Vulcan liaison to ever be assigned to the Terran Embassy there. In a way, Miranda reminded T'Pol of a younger version of herself, except that her daughter was quite comfortable with her quirks and idiosyncrasies, something T'Pol had only recently come to embrace. She watched as her daughter's eyes darted back and forth across the PADD, a clear indication that whatever she was reading was in English.
"What are you reading Miranda?"
Her daughter looked up from her PADD before answering. "I'm reading a tourist's guide to San Francisco."
Miranda watched her mother's eyebrow raise skyward in response. "Mother, I don't understand why you refuse to use contractions."
"Because they are slang terms Miranda, but that is not the point. You are going to Earth to be an aid in the Vulcan consulate, a much-esteemed position. I believe you should be more focused on that than what 'sight- seeing' you plan to do."
"Mother, you know what humans say about all work and no play."
"Yes, I am quite familiar with the phase, but Vulcans do not 'play'."
"This from one with a three dimensional chess set." Miranda countered.
T'Pol could only sigh in defeat at her daughter's righteousness. It was more than apparent Miranda had also inherited her mother's wry sense of humor.
"Mother, may I ask you a question?" T'Pol instantly knew from this leading question that her daughter's next query would more than likely pertain her past.
"Yes Miranda, what would you like to know?"
"Who's the human standing next to you in the picture?"
"Commander Charles Tucker III. He was the Chief Engineer on Enterprise."
"No Mother, I know his name and what his position was. I want to know who he was to you." It was rare for Miranda to ever ask about T'Pol's personal life, she knew it was something her mother closely guarded and rarely shared with anyone, including herself.
"T'Pol closed her eyes before responding. "He was a friend Miranda, quite possibly my best. If not for him, you would not be here today."
Though she was tempted to pry further into her mother's past, she thought better of it. "You know Mother; we will be staying on Earth for almost a month. Why not go visit him?"
"No Miranda, I cannot." T'Pol quickly dismissed.
"Can't or won't?"
"Both."