The Rival 04
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
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Jonathan Archer had called an emergency meeting with Trip and T'Pol to discuss Andy. He had been shocked by Andy's reaction when told he had to return to the Vulcan ship, and he needed to discuss his next moves with those he trusted most.
"So what do you think?" Archer said after a brief explanation; looking to the other two for advice.
"I don't know, Cap'n," Trip shook his head, confused. "Andy didn't tell you why he was in trouble?"
"He said he couldn't," Jonathan answered. "He said it would make things worse for us."
"He's a Star Fleet officer who needs our help," Trip shrugged, and lifted his hands helplessly.
"More than that, he's a friend," Archer pointed out.
Trip barely acknowledged that particular fact. "I can't honestly see that you've got any choice. What if it was one of us?"
"If it were the Andorians or some other hostile species, and we knew what they were going to do to him then I wouldn't hesitate," Archer said clearly. "But we're dealing with Vulcan here. Any conflict with them puts our entire mission into jeopardy."
"If I may, Captain," T'Pol spoke up for the first time during the command meeting. "I would advise that you act very cautiously. Despite the claims of Commander Sawyer I find it hard to believe he is being mistreated."
"You're sayin' he's lyin'?" Trip turned on her.
"It is not outside the realms of possibility, Commander," she responded calmly.
"But that the Vulcan's would treat him badly – that is impossible I suppose?"
"Trip," Archer quieted Tucker.
"We, unlike humans, have curbed our violent and emotional natures."
"Well somethin's made him act like a different person while he's been onboard! He's not the same guy I knew back on Earth," Trip answered a little quieter.
"Why send him to this colony?" Archer asked T'Pol, with a sideways glance at Trip. "It's a long way from a star ship for an engineer like him."
"I did not say that he was not under some sort of punishment, Captain - only that the reasons for the punishment may not be so unjust as you believe."
"Go on."
"Cmdr Sawyer has been living on Vulcan for some time. It is quite possible that he broke one of our laws or regulations, or a condition of his exchange and has had to be reprimanded. I'm sure I need not remind you that anyone living on Vulcan must adhere to our own laws, as we must when we live on Earth. Presumably he doesn't approve of his punishment and believes that you will be able to offer him a way out."
"Nah," Trip shook his head. "I don't believe it. If he'd done somethin' stupid and that's why he was goin' to the colony, well then he'd take it on the chin like anyone else. An' if it was all so simple as you say, why doesn't Admiral Forrest know?"
"Perhaps," T'Pol looked grave, "you should ask Commander Sawyer that."
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Trip found Andy in engineering. He was tinkering around with some components, looking perfectly content. Watching him, Trip tried to forget the soreness he felt towards Andy over Hoshi and tried to remember his friend was in danger of losing the one thing he really cared about.
"Andy," Trip called out, causing the former to look up from what he was doing.
"Trip, hi!" Andy half-smiled. He saw Trip's solemn face and wondered if Hoshi had told him about their date. "Something wrong?"
Trip sat down on an empty stool. "I wanted to talk to you about this Vulcan thing," he started, getting Andy's full attention straight away. "The captain told me what you said – that you're scared to go back an' all – and we were just wonderin' why? What's goin' on, Andy?"
Andy took a deep breath, then looked Trip square in the eye. "This 'we' – you mean just you and the captain?"
"Me, the Cap'n and T'Pol," Trip said clearly, daring Andy to protest. He did so.
"Why the hell did you discuss this with her?" he exploded, jumping to his feet. "She's one of them! Didn't the Captain hear anything I said?"
"Whoah, slow down," Trip said, standing up himself. "Andy – there is no us and them. This is the Vulcans we're talking about. We wouldn't even be out here if it wasn't for them!"
"We'd have been out here a lot sooner if it wasn't for them holding us back, or have you and Jon forgotten that? And they're still trying to keep us down by controlling everything Enterprise does out here, or had you forgotten that?"
"Hey," Trip waved a hand. "Who do you think's been out here all this time, fightin' that particular battle? Captain Archer and yours truly, but you know what? We're still here and I think they're jus' startin' to get used to the idea. The Vulcans are a pain up the backside, but they're not the enemy, Andy; I know that. And as for T'Pol, she's a member of this crew and deserves the same respect as any of us."
Andy sat back down dejectedly. "If you really believe all that then there's nothing I can say to you to make you understand. You've been out here for two years and maybe you have changed some Vulcan minds. But I've been living on their planet, Trip, living with their prejudices and most of them don't want to believe we belong out here," Andy spat, surprising Trip with the feeling in his voice.
"Andy, what happened out there?" Trip asked gently, seeing Andy was going through something he didn't quite understand.
"I got so sick of being treated like some lower life form," Andy started to speak quickly and quietly, as if talking to himself. "They thought humans couldn't understand the complexities of deep space, of alien diplomacy, of warp technology! So I decided if they weren't going to help us, then I would just have to help myself."
Trip leaned forward. "What did you do?" he whispered.
Andy looked up at him suddenly, a sharp look in his eye. "What's the one thing they have that we don't? It isn't a superior intellect or enlightened philosophy, whatever they may think. It's just a little piece of technology they have, that we don't."
"Warp 7," Trip gasped. "Andy – tell me you didn't."
"I had one good friend on Vulcan – a guy called Rok – he took me to the space dock he worked at. There was a 7 engine there. Rok got called away… anyway I made my way back in and managed to get a good look at the nacelles."
Trip sat back and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Hell, Andy," he said sadly.
"It was beautiful, Trip. The logic in it, the efficiency… And we could do it! I know we could…"
"Stop!" Trip said loudly. "Stop right there, Commander. Whatever it is you want to tell me, you can't. That information's classified… That's what happened isn't it? They caught you out? The Vulcans know you've been trying to steal their technology?"
Andy nodded. "They were on to me pretty quick. They took all my data padds away and put me on a transport vessel heading for some distant mining colony where they barely have flight technology… that was their answer. To send me so far away I couldn't tell anyone back home what had happened. But they messed up! After all that effort to get me out the way, I end up on Enterprise surrounded by humans! This could be our chance, Trip – wouldn't you like to be the first human to build a warp 7 engine?"
Trip couldn't believe his ears.
"Andy, listen to yourself! We can't build a warp 7 engine! Everyone would know the technology was stolen… we'd lose all our alliances with the Vulcans and their contacts. We'd be on our own out here!"
"Trip, it wouldn't matter," Andy said passionately, stuttering a little in his haste to get his ideas out. "Don't you see? With technology like that we'd be one of the most advanced races with warp capabilities – we wouldn't need the Vulcans!"
"Andy, it's out of the question!" Trip said, his voice getting louder with each sentence. "And you're a fool if you ever think anyone on Earth would want to use stolen information just to help ourselves. It's shameful, deceitful and wrong!"
"Yeah, well maybe not everyone else back home is quite as scrupulous as you, Trip, you ever think about that?" Andy shouted back, angry at being talked down to in such a way.
"You can bet your life Star Fleet Command feels the same way I do," Trip said assuredly. "That goes for the captain too."
"You're going to tell him?"
"Damn right I'm goin' to tell him," Trip said harshly. "I'm goin' to tell him right now, and if you had any sense you'd come with me."
"Oh I'll speak to the Captain," Andy said softly, the edge of a threat in his voice. "But I'll do it on my own, Trip. I'm going to give him my side of the story; Earth's side of the story. You may all have been cocooned up on a space ship for two years, making up your own minds about things, but the rest of us haven't had that luxury. It's my job to make the Captain see that," Andy paused, looking at Trip thoughtfully. "In the meantime, there's somewhere else I promised to be."
He got up quickly and dropped his tricorder back down on the workbench with a crash.
"What's happened to you, Andy?" Trip said sadly as Andy brushed past. "I'd never have believed you capable of somethin' like this."
"Two years has happened, Trip," Andy replied. "You guys have experienced stuff I can't ever imagine, but time isn't just standing still elsewhere you know, things are changing. This crew is going to have quite a shock when it finally gets back home."
Andy left and Trip was left standing alone, his mind whirling as it tried to take in everything that had just happened. Then to top it all off, he remembered where Andy was probably going…
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By the time Andy got to Hoshi's quarters he was feeling quite unsettled. It hadn't been easy to tell Trip what he'd done and see the reaction he most feared. For the first time he began to doubt his actions. It was strange - at the time he'd been so sure he was doing the right thing, but now… The Enterprise crew had been away for a long time, but it was months since he himself had last visited Earth. What if everyone reacted to him as Trip had? Maybe it had been wrong to do what he did…
Thinking that he couldn't face dinner with anyone, Andy thought he'd just make up some excuse and go - but then he saw Hoshi. She looked fantastic. She was wearing a red top and her hair down and she almost took his breath away. He decided he would stay, but even so he couldn't keep his mind off earlier and what Trip might be saying to Jonathan Archer at that very moment… He barely heard a thing Hoshi said as they sat down to dinner and inattentively tried to answer her questions and make conversation.
"Is something wrong?" Hoshi asked, looking down embarrassed as she realised that once again Andy wasn't listening to a word she was saying. "If you've changed your mind about tonight, I'd rather you just said so," she admitted awkwardly.
Andy roused himself and had the decency to look ashamed. "Oh, Christ, Hoshi, I'm so sorry. I've just… I've got some stuff on my mind tonight. Honestly, this meal is great – one of the best I've had in ages."
"You've barely touched it," Hoshi said, pointing at his plate.
Andy ran a hand over his chin. "That doesn't mean… Listen, maybe we should postpone tonight," he said, looking up at her. "My head's really all over the place tonight and it's not fair on you. Not after you've gone to all this trouble."
Hoshi stood up and started to clear up the dishes. "Of course, Commander," she said tightly.
"I'm sorry, Hoshi, but let's both be honest, hey? I don't think I was the one you really wanted to be having dinner with tonight, was I?" Andy said, getting ready to leave.
Hoshi put the plates down with a clunk. "What do you mean?" she asked worriedly.
"Hoshi, I may not have been paying much attention tonight, but the times I was, you were mostly talking about Trip." Hoshi went bright red and tried to deny what he was implying. "Don't bother, okay? It's nothing to apologise for. Trip's a good man and well worthy of being liked. I may not be the most thoughtful man in the world, but I can see I'm intruding on something here."
Hoshi just stood there in silence, unable to confirm or deny anything.
"I think maybe I said yes to you for the wrong reasons, Andy," she said at last, looking up at him.
Andy smiled and nodded. "I figured as much. Bit of a non-starter this, isn't it?" he tried to laugh. "Goodnight, Hoshi, and sorry again for my behaviour. I hope you can get someone else to make it up to you - for what it's worth, I know he likes you too."
Andy left then, but Hoshi stared after him for some time, not moving.
"What did you say?" she asked eventually, but by then, there was no one there to explain.
To be continued… please read/review!
