The Rival 08

Under A Cloud

"Of course, he'll be stripped of his commission and discharged from Starfleet," the Admiral was saying, shaking his head.  "It's a terrible thing."

Archer nodded.  "I always thought Andy was destined for great things.  I guess I didn't know him as well as I thought I did."

"It's not going to help our relations with the Vulcans either," Forrest continued.  "Soval has not been pleased with the way this has been handled."

"Soval isn't pleased?" Archer raised an eyebrow.  "Admiral, he's not the only one.  The Vulcans had no right to conceal Andy's actions from us.  We might never have known what happened to him if he hadn't been accidentally transferred to Enterprise."

"I know, Jonathan," Admiral Forrest admitted grimly, "And believe me, that's an issue I intend to raise with the Vulcan High Command."

As the admiral's face disappeared from the computer screen, Archer sat staring at the Starfleet insignia that replaced it, deep in thought.  He only roused himself when interrupted by a comm. signal from the bridge.

"Go ahead," he said, reaching for the panel on the wall.

"I have been in contact with the Shelan, Captain," T'Pol's clear voice spoke loudly into the cabin.  "Captain Puruk is expecting transport of Commander Sawyer at 1600 hours."

Archer glanced at the chronometer on the wall.  "Very well, Sub-Commander, he'll be there.  I'm putting you in charge of his transport.  Make sure Malcolm sends a security team to check his quarters.  The Vulcan's will want to make certain Commander Sawyer didn't leave behind anything he shouldn't, I'm sure."

"Understood, Captain.  Do you wish to speak to Commander Sawyer yourself?"

Archer paused.  "No," he said at last.  "Just tell me when he's ready for transport."

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Trip was poking food around on his plate, making some resemblance of eating, but in truth he wasn't even a little hungry.  He'd had Hoshi on his mind all night.  Yesterday's encounter in Engineering had stayed with him long after Hoshi had left.  He rejoiced in the fact that she shared his feelings, now he'd been forced to admit them, but no matter how good those feelings were, they didn't take away from the fact that any romantic association with an ensign was forbidden for him.  He'd been a sorry witness to the result of Andy's lax views on rules and regulations.  And although Trip knew that he and Hoshi going on a date caused no threat to inter-planetary politics, it was still flaunting a rule that was put there for a reason.

"Penny for your thoughts," Malcolm said, interrupting Trip's reverie.  "Or are they worth more than that?" he smiled.

Trip gave up the pretence of eating and pushed his tray away from him.

"Malcolm, I'm in a real mess," Trip admitted, checking that no one else was within easy listening distance.  "I need some advice."

"Hoshi?"

"Yeah," Trip sighed.  "It's that obvious, huh?"

"In a word, yes," Malcolm answered, "but only because I'm looking for it.  What's happened?"

"Well, I know she likes me, and she knows I like her."

"Sounds okay so far."

"But it isn't okay, is it?  I mean I can't take things any further – she's an ensign, Malcolm, and I'm her superior."

"You're the chief engineer and she's the comm. officer," Malcolm said, surprised.  "I give her more orders than you do."

"I'm the highest ranked Star Fleet officer on board after the Captain," Trip countered, "and I take that job very seriously, Malcolm.  And so does Jonathan Archer.  I can't help thinking he wouldn't be too pleased if I started dating ensigns."

"I shouldn't think so either, but you wouldn't be – not ensigns plural, at any rate.  Just Hoshi."

"You don't agree with the no-fraternisation rule?" Trip asked.  "And I thought you were a real stickler for discipline, Lieutenant."

"I agree with it in general," Malcolm replied, considering.  "But the fact is that rules like that, well, they're pretty tough to enforce.  Particularly on a long mission into deep space with a crew that has no one but themselves for company.  In fact it's almost the opposite – you want the crew to get along and develop strong relationships."

"Yeah, well, that's just fine, but the rule still exists, whether it's practical or not," Trip sighed.

"Trip if you want my advice about Hoshi, my answer is to let someone else worry about what's allowed and what isn't," Malcolm said, shaking his head.  "The captain will use his discretion in situations like these.  If you like Hoshi and she likes you, I think you should make the most of it."

Trip stared back at his friend.  Hell, maybe he was making too big a deal out of it. 

"And if that doesn't work you could always promote her - problem solved," Malcolm added with a grin.  "Kidding, just kidding," he backtracked, seeing the look on Trip's face.

-----------

Andy moved about the cabin as he collected his belongings into a small case.  T'Pol just stood by the door, observing.

"You think I should be put on trial, don't you?"

"I didn't say that."

"I know you didn't.  But you think it.  Of course you do – it's the logical solution, isn't it?  Commit a crime and face the consequences.  You can tell me the truth – after all, the Captain agrees with you.  He's made his feelings quite clear."

T'Pol made no response.

"Do you have diplomatic immunity onboard Enterprise?" Andy continued.  "As a Vulcan, I mean?"

"I do not see how that information is relevant."

"Don't you?  Of course, I expect you've never needed it.  But imagine this… say you saw something, maybe when you were on Earth, or here on Enterprise, that impressed you.  A medical tool perhaps, or a kitchen gadget.  Now this thing doesn't exist on Vulcan, but you know it would be useful and popular, but most of all, you're impressed by human ingenuity and want people at home to see it.  What would you do?"

"I would request the schematics from Captain Archer."

Andy shook his head, "No, you wouldn't."

"Then what would I do?" T'Pol asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I had a friend on Vulcan, he saw me using my Swiss army knife one day and he really liked it.  So I gave it to him," Andy shrugged.  "I didn't write back to earth for the schematics and neither did my friend."

"It was a present.  The crew of Enterprise, too, have collected many curios from other species we have encountered.  It is usual, in exploration, to collect examples of alien culture and ingenuity.  There is however, some difference between a pocket knife and high-warp technology."

"You don't think it was a fair swap?" Andy asked, innocently.  

"No."

"Well neither might my friend on Vulcan.  But then he's got my knife.  And maybe with all that advanced technology you guys have, he'll find a way to make better, cheaper knives with hundreds of new attachments.  He might go on to sell them across half the galaxy and make a fortune."

"There are trade laws and regulations to prevent such actions," T'Pol countered.

"So, there's an agreement between Earth and Vulcan.  What if my friend decides to go and live on Quo'nos?"  Andy shook his head.  "The Vulcan High Command may believe they can police the universe, but it's just not going to happen any time soon.  Just take a look through Enterprise's logs!  Every time Trip goes to help mend a foreign vessel you're sharing technology...  I've worked on trade ships that are a rogue's gallery of stolen parts and copied technology.  It's how the universe works!"

"There are many problems associated with enforcing trade agreements," T'Pol replied.  "That does not mean they should be ignored at will."

"And who gave the Vulcans the right to enforce any agreement over me?  I'm not Vulcan."

"It was your own government that signed these agreements.  It was your own Star Fleet that joined the inter-species exchange programme you were a part of.  If you didn't agree with their actions, it seems surprising you would participate."

"I didn't have much choice if I wanted to be in space.  In case you'd forgotten, the Vulcan High Command has overseen human space exploration for the past century."

"Mr Sawyer," T'Pol stopped Andy before he could go any further.  "If you are attempting to convince me you are innocent of committing a crime, I must remind you that I have no impact upon Vulcan judiciary proceedings.  You and the captain have forged a solution to your situation with the Vulcan High Command.  If you are trying to improve things for yourself, you are wasting your time."

Andy shook his head with a smile.  "I'm not trying to commute my sentence, Sub-Commander," he said.  "I was appealing to you, as an officer serving amongst another species, to see my point of view.  Obviously I was wasting my time."

"It would appear so," T'Pol answered.  "Are you finished packing?  Lt. Reed needs to inspect your quarters once you are finished."

"Give me five more minutes," Andy said dismissively.  Their conversation was over.

-----------

As Trip made his way to the shuttle bay, he bumped into Hoshi, who was heading to the bridge.

"Hoshi!" he called out.  "Wait a sec, you goin' to the bridge?"

"Yes," Hoshi said, stopping awkwardly.

"Andy's leavin' soon.  I'm jus' heading down to the shuttle bay now.  You don't want to say goodbye?"

Hoshi ran a hand over her face.  "No, no, I don't think so.  I'm a little confused at the moment.  I think maybe it's better if he just leaves."

"Okay," Trip replied, trying not to sound pleased that Hoshi didn't want to see Andy.  "How are you today?" he asked tentatively, watching for her reactions.

"I'm okay, Trip, but I'm late for my shift," Hoshi said brusquely, trying to get past, but Trip put an arm out to hold her back. 

"I jus-" Trip stopped as two crewmen walked past and he pulled Hoshi closer to the wall and lowered his voice – "I just wanted to talk to you about last night, maybe we could meet later and…"

"I get it, Trip, I do," Hoshi said, interrupting him, not bothering to keep her own voice particularly quiet.  "This is a problem for you.  But I don't see what we can say that will change that.  I don't have a problem with our ranks."

"I know, Hosh, but the Captain…"

"I'm late, Trip, and you'll miss Andy if you don't hurry," Hoshi said quickly, breaking free from his grip at last.  "I expect I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Trip said, letting her go with a sigh.

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"You checked his quarters?" Archer turned to Malcolm.

"Yes, sir.  They were clean."

"Thank you, Captain," Captain Puruk said, moving to be in Archer's eye line.  "You've complied with all our conditions to the letter."

"Well we wouldn't want you getting a bad idea of us, would we?" Archer asked, a little tersely. 

"Captain, if I may say so, I believe my superiors have acted somewhat… unnecessarily regarding Mr Sawyer," Puruk said slowly.  "You have handled his situation delicately and with respect for both our planet's laws.  Perhaps there was no need for such secrecy as was believed at first."  Puruk paused a little before adding, "You have impressed me, Captain."

"Thank you," Archer nodded, with just have a glance in T'Pol's direction.  Her face remained, as always, expressionless.  "I hope you will pass that on to your superiors."

Andy stood nearby, listening to the conversation, but his eyes were fixed firmly on the ceiling.  Malcolm, watching him, could not guess what his feelings might be.   

As Trip approached them, Andy brought his attention to his friend, and drew Trip aside so that they could talk face to face. 

"So, Trip," Andy turned to his friend, "you came to see me off after all.  You gonna miss me, man?"

"Give me a reason why I should," Trip asked laconically.

"How about Hoshi?" Andy offered.  "I did you a favour there."

"Yeah, how'd you figure that?" Trip asked.  "She's barely speaking to me."

"That's fixable, Trip, and you know that.  And you should thank me because if I hadn't shown up and made you take some notice of her, you two'd still be in some limbo where you're both denying what you really feel."

"As opposed to the great emotional clarity we have now?" Trip said wryly. 

"It's a start," Andy shrugged.  "And you're a lucky man, Trip.  I wasn't just going after her to annoy you, she's amazing.  If it hadn't been me, it would've been someone else, Trip.  Hoshi's a beautiful and intelligent woman.  Sometime soon someone was going to come along and take her away – and maybe they would've lasted longer than a couple of days."

"So you're saying I should be glad you showed up?"

"Well… let's just say not everything I did here was for the worst.  That'll do for me.  Anyway, I left you a little present in your quarters.  Make good use of them."

"A present?"  Trip looked at Andy with a quizzical look, but before he could ask anymore, Captain Puruk had instructed his subordinates to escort Andy to the shuttle.

"Goodbye, Captain," Andy nodded to Archer as he passed him.  "I know the feeling isn't mutual, but it was good to see you again."

"Goodbye, Andy," Jonathan replied.  "I don't expect we'll see each other again too soon, but when we do, I hope to see you're making a go of things on the colony."

"Sure I'll do my best, Captain," Andy said, with a hint of a smile.  He nodded at Malcolm and T'Pol, then held out a hand to Trip.  Trip paused for a minute before reaching out his own hand.

"Goodbye, Andy," he said.  "Try not to get yourself into anymore trouble down there."

"See you, Trip.  Come visit me some time," Andy replied, as casually as if he were inviting Trip round for dinner.  He started to walk away, but he paused, turned around slowly and glanced at Trip.  "Say goodbye to Hoshi for me," he said gently.  "Tell her it was an honour to meet her."

Then he took one last glance around before letting the Vulcan security officers escort him to the shuttle.  With minimum fuss, former Commander Andy Sawyer left the Enterprise.

The captain and T'Pol left immediately for the bridge and Malcolm muttered something about the armoury before heading off in the other direction.  Left alone with a couple of hours before his next shift, Trip decided to go back to his quarters.  Whatever this present was Andy had left for him was there, and Trip was certain that with anything Andy Sawyer thought would make a good present, he had best be alone when he opened it.

Trip was back in his quarters before the Vulcan shuttle reached the Shelan.

To be continued…   Please read/review!