CHAPTER 8
******************
Archer had been understandably upset by the fact that one of his crew had been taken over, against her will, and made to carry an experiment on 2 of his senior officers. He was even more unhappy with the fact that despite the obvious disruption that this seemed to have had, as well as the averted fight on movie night, he had been left completely in the dark.
After several hours of conversation, and many apologies on Nih's part, it was agreed that despite Nih's good intentions that the troubles that he had caused would preclude his staying longer on Enterprise. As a act of good will, Nih had provided some information on nearby, uncharted systems. He also cautioned them about potential threats that were in the region, much to Malcolm's interest.
Nih said his goodbyes to the bridge crew, and then disappeared.
*****************
That evening, T'pol was walking around Enterprise still trying to understand everything that had happened recently. As she passed the darkened observation lounge, the source of her ruminations was sitting on an upholstered bench, staring out at the stars.
"Good evening, Commander." She now stood just behind him.
Trip was startled out of his reverie, and spun around to find the petite Vulcan looking down at him. The way the light reflected from the hull through the window and onto her face took his breath away - she was mesmerizing. After clearing his throat, he replied, "Good evening to you, too. Have a seat."
T'pol complied, and positioned herself to his left. "You are having difficulties sleeping?"
"Yup. Guess that's your problem too?" He tried not to look at her, and hoped that she had forgotten all about his jealous ex-boyfriend routine. At least the Ensign had an excuse for her behavior, but what was his?
To his dismay, she had not forgotten. "Mr. Tucker, I am troubled by your hostile behavior towards me."
Trip sighed, before saying, "I'm sorry Subcommander. I was a jerk. No excuse. . . . I guess I just didn't like seeing you with another guy." He continued to gaze out the window.
"I do not know how to respond." She hesitated before continuing, "Although, I must admit that I do not like 'seeing' you with other women."
Turning towards her, he could not help but smile at this confession. "I'm not sure what to say to that either."
They spent the next several seconds, staring into each other's eyes, almost in an attempt to read what was behind them. Upon realizing what they were doing, both looked down quickly.
It was Trip who spoke next. "How about we call a truce for now, Subcommander? And then we'll see."
"That would seem to be logical." T'pol leaned in a little and spoke now almost in a whisper, "And, you may call me T'pol when we are off-duty. May I call you Charles?"
He chuckled. "I'll let ya call me whatever you like, darlin'."
****************
Cher had spent over a day under observation in Sickbay. After detailing her initial encounter with Nih, she explained how Nih had somehow been implanted into her sub-conscious in order for her to accomplish what needed to be done.
She admitted to writing and sending the letter to Trip, as well as damaging the equipment in the gym, knowing not only that she and T'pol would be there, but that Trip would be forced to fix it himself (she had anonymously contacted him with the repair request). Her explanation for knowing personal aspects of the crew was that Nih had scanned all of Enterprise's databanks, including logs and correspondences.
She was adamant that he had not harmed her. The only residual effect from the 'possession' was a slight headache that would require analgesics for a few days.
It was around midnight when Phlox had finally discharged her, as she was deemed completely healthy. Cher now sauntered along the corridor; her head lulled with each effort to lift her feet. She was exhausted.
As she passed the observation lounge, she made out 2 figures sitting very close to each other, seemingly engrossed in conversation. A sliver of a smile signaled her recognition of the couple. Not wanting to be caught snooping again, she only paused for a moment before heading to her quarters.
When she stepped inside, she was thrilled to find a familiar friend. Nih was waiting for her, as they had not yet said their goodbyes. "Oh, Nih. You would never guess who I just saw. They were cozying up in the observation lounge. Maybe our efforts will be rewarded in the end."
Nih did not respond verbally, as their link was so strong that he was able to send his thoughts to hers.
"Thanks for taking all the blame, by the way. If they knew that I was a willing participant in this, I would probably be sent home, or worse court- martialed. Are you sure you can't stick around?"
Cher focused on the thoughts being relayed to her. "Where will you go? I'll try to keep you up to date, especially about our favorite pair."
Nih's iridescent form now glowed bright orange, showing his pleasure.
"Well, it's been fun. And now, I'll get to milk everyone's pity for a while." She laughed. "Maybe I'll also keep up with these experiments on my own, now that you've given me the taste for it. Any suggestions?"
Cher sat down at the computer and started to search for a new project. "What about Malcolm and Hoshi. . . ?"
**************
THE END
Author's note: I know that it was silly in parts, but hey, I had fun writing it. One of the challenges was to try not to use 'he' or 'his' or 'it', as I wanted to maintain the genderless aspect of this entity. I had written out a whole bunch of dialogue with Nih but it was annoying to write, as well as to read it like that. Well, I hope you were at least a little entertained!!!
******************
Archer had been understandably upset by the fact that one of his crew had been taken over, against her will, and made to carry an experiment on 2 of his senior officers. He was even more unhappy with the fact that despite the obvious disruption that this seemed to have had, as well as the averted fight on movie night, he had been left completely in the dark.
After several hours of conversation, and many apologies on Nih's part, it was agreed that despite Nih's good intentions that the troubles that he had caused would preclude his staying longer on Enterprise. As a act of good will, Nih had provided some information on nearby, uncharted systems. He also cautioned them about potential threats that were in the region, much to Malcolm's interest.
Nih said his goodbyes to the bridge crew, and then disappeared.
*****************
That evening, T'pol was walking around Enterprise still trying to understand everything that had happened recently. As she passed the darkened observation lounge, the source of her ruminations was sitting on an upholstered bench, staring out at the stars.
"Good evening, Commander." She now stood just behind him.
Trip was startled out of his reverie, and spun around to find the petite Vulcan looking down at him. The way the light reflected from the hull through the window and onto her face took his breath away - she was mesmerizing. After clearing his throat, he replied, "Good evening to you, too. Have a seat."
T'pol complied, and positioned herself to his left. "You are having difficulties sleeping?"
"Yup. Guess that's your problem too?" He tried not to look at her, and hoped that she had forgotten all about his jealous ex-boyfriend routine. At least the Ensign had an excuse for her behavior, but what was his?
To his dismay, she had not forgotten. "Mr. Tucker, I am troubled by your hostile behavior towards me."
Trip sighed, before saying, "I'm sorry Subcommander. I was a jerk. No excuse. . . . I guess I just didn't like seeing you with another guy." He continued to gaze out the window.
"I do not know how to respond." She hesitated before continuing, "Although, I must admit that I do not like 'seeing' you with other women."
Turning towards her, he could not help but smile at this confession. "I'm not sure what to say to that either."
They spent the next several seconds, staring into each other's eyes, almost in an attempt to read what was behind them. Upon realizing what they were doing, both looked down quickly.
It was Trip who spoke next. "How about we call a truce for now, Subcommander? And then we'll see."
"That would seem to be logical." T'pol leaned in a little and spoke now almost in a whisper, "And, you may call me T'pol when we are off-duty. May I call you Charles?"
He chuckled. "I'll let ya call me whatever you like, darlin'."
****************
Cher had spent over a day under observation in Sickbay. After detailing her initial encounter with Nih, she explained how Nih had somehow been implanted into her sub-conscious in order for her to accomplish what needed to be done.
She admitted to writing and sending the letter to Trip, as well as damaging the equipment in the gym, knowing not only that she and T'pol would be there, but that Trip would be forced to fix it himself (she had anonymously contacted him with the repair request). Her explanation for knowing personal aspects of the crew was that Nih had scanned all of Enterprise's databanks, including logs and correspondences.
She was adamant that he had not harmed her. The only residual effect from the 'possession' was a slight headache that would require analgesics for a few days.
It was around midnight when Phlox had finally discharged her, as she was deemed completely healthy. Cher now sauntered along the corridor; her head lulled with each effort to lift her feet. She was exhausted.
As she passed the observation lounge, she made out 2 figures sitting very close to each other, seemingly engrossed in conversation. A sliver of a smile signaled her recognition of the couple. Not wanting to be caught snooping again, she only paused for a moment before heading to her quarters.
When she stepped inside, she was thrilled to find a familiar friend. Nih was waiting for her, as they had not yet said their goodbyes. "Oh, Nih. You would never guess who I just saw. They were cozying up in the observation lounge. Maybe our efforts will be rewarded in the end."
Nih did not respond verbally, as their link was so strong that he was able to send his thoughts to hers.
"Thanks for taking all the blame, by the way. If they knew that I was a willing participant in this, I would probably be sent home, or worse court- martialed. Are you sure you can't stick around?"
Cher focused on the thoughts being relayed to her. "Where will you go? I'll try to keep you up to date, especially about our favorite pair."
Nih's iridescent form now glowed bright orange, showing his pleasure.
"Well, it's been fun. And now, I'll get to milk everyone's pity for a while." She laughed. "Maybe I'll also keep up with these experiments on my own, now that you've given me the taste for it. Any suggestions?"
Cher sat down at the computer and started to search for a new project. "What about Malcolm and Hoshi. . . ?"
**************
THE END
Author's note: I know that it was silly in parts, but hey, I had fun writing it. One of the challenges was to try not to use 'he' or 'his' or 'it', as I wanted to maintain the genderless aspect of this entity. I had written out a whole bunch of dialogue with Nih but it was annoying to write, as well as to read it like that. Well, I hope you were at least a little entertained!!!