He Who Fights With Monsters
By Thalia Drogna
AN: Thanks to all those who have reviewed. To everyone who wondered at Trip being rather too accepting of his predicament, Malcolm has been thinking the same thing...
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Reed really didn't like the idea of leaving Trip behind at all. They had nearly lost him once and Reed had promised that he wouldn't let anything happen to him again, but here they were in the impossible situation of either killing two thousand Tien or leaving Trip where he was, a living part of a computer.
Archer had been furious but there was very little he could do with Trip surrounded by Tien security officers. Reed had quietly pointed out the tactical problems of his small group of security officers and the MACOs going up against the veritable army of Tien security guards. So Archer and T'Pol had decided to take the shuttlepod back to Enterprise to examine the data that T'Pol had collected. Archer had not accepted Trip's resignation, pointing out that it was premature. He hadn't wanted to leave Trip alone on the alien ship so Reed had agreed to stay. Reed was now sitting on the step beside the black cylinder holding a bizarre conversation with the disembodied voice of his friend.
"How can you be so calm about the whole thing?" asked Reed, when they were alone. He had expected Trip to be more angry, perhaps even scared, he knew that he certainly would have been. He hadn't expected him to be handling this so well. He was very afraid that the Tien had done something more to Trip than just connect him to their computer.
"Well, I don't really have much choice. This might not be my idea of how my life was going to work out but I can't just ignore two thousand people. Fighting this isn't going to do me any good. I mean I'm pissed about the whole damn thing, but the Tien were desperate and I can't say we wouldn't have acted the same way if we'd been in their situation," said Trip.
"I hope to god that isn't true," said Reed. "I hope we never force a living being to do something like this just for the sake of our own survival."
"When survival of your race is on the line people do desperate things," said Trip.
Reed didn't want to tell Trip that he'd already seen Archer do things that he would never have believed the man capable of before the Xindi attack on Earth. The possibility of having one's race wiped from the face of the planet certainly did put a different perspective on things, but he personally hadn't agreed with everything Archer had done. Just because the Xindi had killed millions it didn't mean that humans had to loose what made them human.
"Besides," said Trip, "I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything. I'm just not going to be able to go back to Enterprise." Trip felt something from the sensor net. He was still trying to get used to the sensors, especially the emotion sensors. It was as if everything he saw was coloured subtly and that colour indicated an emotion. "Malcolm, you don't need to feel guilty," said Trip working out what had disturbed him. "None of this was your fault."
"You can feel my emotions?" asked Reed.
"Yeah, the Rel Sevanne is empathic, like the Tien. I'm not the only organic technology in this ship. It has emotion sensors. I'm just getting the hang of them but from your reaction, I'm guessing I pegged you pretty well," replied Trip.
"It is my fault," said Reed. "I should have been sticking to you like glue the whole time we were on board this ship. Instead I'm off having fun chatting to their Weapons Master about the size of his guns. What kind of security officer am I? And more to the point, what kind of friend does that make me?"
"A pretty damn good one," replied Trip. "You're the one who's sitting here chatting to a voice in an empty room. It isn't your fault, everything I've done, everything that's happened, has been down to me. If I hadn't got distracted by Shar Jen I might have been a bit more wary about the Tien and what they were hiding."
"And I suppose it was your own fault that you got kidnapped by the Xindi too," said Reed.
"Oh I get it, that's what this is really all about. You think it was your fault that the Xindi captured me on that ship," said Trip. "Well that wasn't your fault either. You told me to keep my phaser handy and instead I was playing around with those alien engines. I had a weapon but I put it down when I was trying to crawl into a conduit, it kept bashing into my leg. It was my own stupidity that got me caught by the Xindi. Besides the way I heard it, it was you who pulled my sorry ass out of there."
"I was the one who found you," said Reed with nothing but pain in his voice. He still had bad dreams about finding Trip beaten half to death on the floor of the cell in the Xindi ship.
"Oh god, Malcolm, I'm so sorry," said Trip as he felt Malcolm's hurt too through the sensor net. He knew it had been tough on his friends the last few months but he had never understood just how hard Reed had taken the whole thing until now. No wonder he'd been so angry when he'd heard Trip had tried to interface with the Tien computer. After Reed had taken so much care over keeping Trip safe it was like a slap in the face for Trip to casually neglect his own safety.
"Why should you be sorry? You nearly died and I'm responsible for that, and the situation you find yourself in now," said Reed.
"Oh Malcolm, give it a rest, will you," said Trip. "I'm the Chief Engineer of a starship not a kindergarten teacher! I knew when I signed on that it was going to be dangerous, we all did. The Captain gave everyone the option of getting off when we were docked at Jupiter station and we all decided to stay. Anything which has happened to me while we're out here is down to me and no one else. You can try and make things less dangerous but you're never going to be able to make it risk free. Now promise me that you'll stop beating yourself up over this."
Reed nodded. "I'll try," he said.
"Good," said Trip.
"So, what's it like?" asked Reed.
"Weird," said Trip.
"Weird? That's the best description you can manage?" asked Reed.
"Well what do you want me to say? It's impossible for me to describe. I guess it's like my body is the Rel Sevanne and the sensors are my senses. The air recycling plant is my lungs, the hull is my skin and the warp engines are my heart. I can see anywhere in this ship where there are cameras and I can sense the emotions of two thousand Tien walking around the corridors. It's pretty damn well indescribable."
"I imagine it would be," said Reed.
"There's a whole load of fascinating stuff in the databanks as well, I'm just scratching the surface so far. This ship was grown, not built. Well some of it was built, but the outer hull was grown onto the superstructure. The Tien had to leave their home world so they built the Rel Sevanne to evacuate the remaining population. You remember me wondering where they got the materials to build such a huge ship?"
"Yes," said Reed, it had only been that morning although it now seemed like much longer ago than that.
"They broke up the inner planets of their solar system to get the building materials. It must have been amazing watching it all come together," said Trip.
"I'm sure it was," said Reed.
They continued talking about how the Rel Sevanne was built, until Trip sensed Reed was getting tired.
"You should get some sleep," said Trip. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Captain Archer told me to stay with you, and that's what I'm going to do," said Reed.
"You're dead on your feet, Malcolm. I don't think the Captain expected you to stay awake all night," said Trip. He silently sent some commands to a couple of Tien technicians to find a camp bed and set it up in the computer room.
"What about you? You must be tired too?" said Reed.
"I don't think that I need sleep anymore. My body isn't exactly functioning as normal," said Trip. "Just get some sleep, Malcolm."
"I'll be fine," said Reed, just as the Tien arrived with the bed. "This is going to take a little getting used to," he said.
"You have no idea," said Trip, who at that moment was monitoring over a hundred systems and was ordering the final repairs to the engine, Lirat. He had just noticed that Devas and Jerel needed complete overhauls as well, he would have to talk to Shar Jen about organising those. "Go on, get some sleep. I'll wake you if anything important comes up."
"Okay, Commander," said Reed and made his way to the camp bed in the corner of the room. He thanked the Tien technicians and laid down, suddenly realising just how fatigued he actually was.
"You'd better start calling me Patriarch," replied Trip.
"Until we've exhausted every single option for getting you out of here, I'm not calling you anything other than Trip or Commander," said Reed and drifted into sleep.
****
Reed was awoken by Trip and Shar Jen having a discussion. "Why can't you just keep calling me Trip?" asked the Commander.
"It is part of the ceremony. You need to take an official name. There has never been a Patriarch who was not Tien and it would make it easier for the people to accept you," replied Shar Jen.
"What were you thinking of calling me?" asked Trip.
"The Senior Council suggested Trip En Ath Tucker," said Shar Jen.
"Trip En, after Ten En?" asked Trip.
"Yes, the first two of our names are our given names, by our parents, the second two are our family names. You asked us to call you Trip, that is your given name. You need four names so it seems appropriate to use two of Ten En's to make up those that you are missing," said Shar Jen. "They must be single syllables apart from your last name."
"I guess so. Why not?" said Trip. "I need four names, it's only fitting that I get two from my predecessor."
"Commander, you don't need any more names, you're Commander Charles Tucker III, Trip to your friends," said Reed, sitting on his makeshift bed and rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them.
"It's only a ceremonial name, I'll still be Trip," said Trip.
"That isn't the point," said Reed. "You're not staying."
"Malcolm, don't make me go over this again," said Trip. "I might not be leaving."
"I just don't think you should be choosing a new name yet, that's all," said Reed.
"We need to perform the ceremony in the next two days," said Shar Jen. "Once the ceremony is performed he will be legally part of the Tien people."
"Fine," said Reed. "Two days, we'll be finished the repairs to Lirat. You can have your ceremony then. Until then, you're still just Trip."
"As you wish," said Shar Jen, "we can wait two days. Trip isn't going anywhere."
"We'll see about that," said Reed. He realised that he didn't like Shar Jen, she was trying to keep Trip and he was doing his best to take him away from her. The two goals were mutually exclusive and he was getting the impression that she didn't like him very much either. It worried him more that Trip seemed not to care that he might never leave the Tien ship. Reed couldn't understand why his friend wasn't fighting this harder than he was.
"After the ceremony we will expect you and your ship to leave," said Shar Jen. "We will take care of Trip from now on."
"Oh yes, like you've been taking care of him so far!" shouted Reed.
"Malcolm, stop it," said Trip. "This isn't helping." Reed fell silent. Trip was right, shouting wouldn't help anyone.
"I've got a shuttle coming in," said Trip. "It's the Captain, T'Pol and Phlox."
"I'll go down and meet them," said Reed, glad of an excuse to get away from Shar Jen.
"Okay, Malcolm," said Trip. "They're in docking bay three."
****
When Archer had contacted the Rel Sevanne for permission to dock he had nearly fallen off his seat when a familiar southern accent had answered his hail and directed him to docking bay three.
"Trip?" he had asked, but the voice hadn't shown any signs of recognition.
"Please proceed to docking bay three," had been the reply. They landed and were met by Lieutenant Reed.
"How are things, Malcolm?" asked Archer when he saw the Lieutenant approaching them.
"Pretty much the same as when you left, sir," said Reed. "They're talking about some sort of official inauguration ceremony for the new Patriarch. They've agreed to wait two days until we can at least see if we can come up with some sort of solution to this problem."
"At least that's something," said Archer.
"I also got the impression that they would be much more loath to let Commander Tucker go once the ceremony is performed. Shar Jen said something about him legally being part of the Tien after the ceremony," said Reed.
"We'd better come up with something in the next two days then," replied Archer.
"There is something else to consider," said T'Pol. "If we delay any longer we may jeopardise the mission."
"I'm aware of that, T'Pol," said Archer. "But I have to try to get Trip out of this. He didn't ask for this and I can't just leave him behind. This would be a lot easier if we didn't have two thousand Tien lives to consider.
"And the fact that we're seriously out-gunned, as well as out-numbered. I take it the Rel Sevanne has its weapons locked on Enterprise," said Reed.
"Your assumption is correct, Lieutenant," said T'Pol.
"Well perhaps I can help you come up with something," said Phlox. "Although T'Pol's scans were most useful in ascertaining Commander Tucker's condition, I do need to look at the life support devices that are currently sustaining him if we are ever going to disconnect him successfully. My medical tri-corder should provide us with more information."
"Follow me, doctor," said Reed and he led the way back to the computer room.
"How's he doing in himself?" asked Phlox.
"He seems to be doing remarkably well," said Reed. "Almost too well. It's as if he doesn't really care what happens to him. He seems to be completely resigned to the fact that he's stuck here."
"I'd best see him," said Phlox. "I can only imagine the psychological strain this is putting on him."
"Were you able to find out any more about the Tien?" asked Archer.
"A little, Trip has access to their databanks and told me about how the Rel Sevanne was built. He did tell me something else interesting, there are no more Tien, the two thousand odd on this ship are the last of their race," said Reed.
"What happened to the Tien homeworld?" asked T'Pol. "Why are these the only Tien?"
"I don't know," said Reed. "Trip might be able to tell us."
"I want to know what happened on their homeworld," said Archer. "I want to know why they're even out here and most of all I want to know why they haven't found some planet to settle on. We know they must have a good reason to stay on the ship if they're prepared to plug living beings into their computer."
"That does not necessarily follow, Captain," said T'Pol. "They may not see life as part of the Rel Sevanne's systems as any less fulfilling than any other occupation."
"No, but the Captain does have a point," said Reed. "They must have passed dozens of suitable planets in the ten generations that they've been out here."
"Maybe they are simply happy with their current way of life," said T'Pol.
"And maybe they have something to hide," said Archer. "Either way, these people kidnapped my Chief Engineer and I want to know more about them. So far they haven't told us a thing about themselves."
The four of them entered the computer room to see Nils Fen ordering guards be posted around the black cylinder which currently housed Trip.
"What's going on?" asked Archer.
"Just a precaution ordered by Kris Nor," said Nils Fen. "Trip is ours now, we won't let you take him from us."
"I tried to tell them that you wouldn't do that, Captain," said Trip's voice from somewhere in the room. "You know there's more than just my life riding on this."
"Yes, the entirety of the Tien race as I understand it," said Archer, only his voice's flat tones betraying his annoyance.
"You are correct, Captain," said Nils Fen. "We are all that is left of the Tien."
"Just how did an entire race come to be diminished to only two thousand people?" asked Archer.
"That is not your concern," said Nils Fen.
"Trip? What are the Tien hiding?" asked Reed.
"Hey, if they don't want you to know then I don't think I can tell you either," said Trip. "Besides I don't have access to everything until after the ceremony, there are bits of the databanks that are closed to me at the moment."
"If we gave him access to everything, it could overload his neurones," said Shar Jen. "We have to build up gradually."
"Pretty much what I told Malcolm last night is all I know," said Trip. He wasn't entirely telling them the truth but the Rel Sevanne had secrets that it would not let him divulge to an alien. He also had no desire to tell his Captain everything that he knew, the Tien were his people now and he had to protect them. "I heard your conversation in the corridor and I have to say I think you're wrong."
"You heard us?" asked Reed.
"Yeah, there are sensors all over this ship that pick up everything that goes on, I was tracking you from the docking bay," said Trip.
"What were they talking about?" asked Shar Jen.
"They were mostly wondering about why you haven't found some nice planet to settle on," said Trip to Shar Jen. "And trying to figure out if there's any way they can get me out of here."
"Trip!" said Archer. He couldn't believe Trip had just casually given out the details of their private conversation to an alien. "That was a private conversation between myself and my officers."
"Nothing on the Rel Sevanne is private," said Shar Jen. She felt Archer's anger and under that was a feeling of betrayal. It was the same feeling that she had felt from Trip when he had been being prepared for conjoining. Instead all she felt now from Trip was contentment, he was settling into his new role well and the ship was running as efficiently as it had when Ten En had been at his prime.
"If I may be allowed, I would like to take some scans of the Commander," said Phlox.
"Patriarch, his title is now Patriarch," said Shar Jen.
"Not for another two days, it isn't," said Reed.
"Let's not get into this again," said Trip. "I don't care what you call me. Trip will do just fine."
"Do I have your permission to take the scans I need?" asked Phlox.
"Sure, Doc, go ahead," said Trip. He was briefly reminded of a similar request from the doctor when he had been lying in his quarters recovering from his injuries acquired at the hands of the Xindi. Those memories were so distant now that it was almost as if they had happened to a completely different person and they seemed to be fading away even more, replaced by the bright, shining thing that was the Rel Sevanne in his mind. Each system was like a silver thread running through his mind, he could choose which thread to focus on and suddenly the thread would resolve itself into information. The nanites translated for him, carrying the pure data to him in terms that he could understand. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He was a living, breathing part of the living, breathing entity that was the Rel Sevanne and her people. He felt safe. He felt as if he belonged and he felt that this was where he should be.
He watched Phlox perform his scans with a kind of detachment. It had overtaken him gradually since he had been conjoined, but the feeling was overwhelming now. He was sure he had been angry about it, but he couldn't for the life of him work out why, this was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He wasn't Commander Tucker anymore, he was Trip En Ath Tucker, conjoined Patriarch of the Rel Sevanne.
"I think it's time that our guests returned to Enterprise," said Trip. "Nils Fen, would you please escort them back to the docking bay." It was time to cut the ties to his past.
"Trip? Don't you want us to stay?" asked Reed.
"Malcolm, you don't belong here," said Trip.
"And you do?" said Reed not believing what he heard his friend saying.
"I may not have known it, but this is where I belong, now and for the rest of my life," said Trip.
"Trip, listen to yourself," said Archer. "This isn't you talking. You're the Chief Engineer of Enterprise. Enterprise needs her Chief Engineer, remember? We need you to finish the mission, to find the Xindi, to stop more people dying on Earth. For Lizzie, Trip. For your sister."
"I remember, but my priorities have changed. I can't help you anymore. Lizzie would understand," said Trip.
"I'm not so sure that she would, Trip," said Archer.
"It doesn't matter anymore, once the repairs are complete the Rel Sevanne will be leaving and I don't think we'll be running into each other again," said Trip.
"Lizzie doesn't matter?" asked Reed incredulously. "What the bloody hell are you saying Trip? This wasn't the way you felt last week. You do remember the nightmares don't you? The ones in which you were trying to save Lizzie from the Xindi attack? The ones that stopped you from sleeping?!" His voice got louder with each question until he was shouting at the room.
"I remember them, they just don't hurt anymore," said Trip. "And what's so wrong with it not hurting? Don't you think I've had more than enough hurt for one lifetime? Lizzie, the Xindi, it's just too much. I'm part of something now. I've never felt so much like I belong. This is where I'm meant to be."
"What did you do to him?" asked Archer, angrily, looking at Shar Jen.
"Nothing," said Shar Jen. "Being conjoined has a way of giving a person a different perspective on life."
"Commander, your behaviour is very illogical. Perhaps you should examine your motivations behind this," said T'Pol.
"Trip, you have to fight this," said Archer. "This isn't you, it's the ship trying to absorb you."
"No, this is me, I just never realised it before. Nils Fen, remove Captain Archer, Lieutenant Reed, Sub-commander T'Pol and Dr Phlox from the computer room. Don't hurt them, if you can help it, but get them off my ship," said Trip.
By Thalia Drogna
AN: Thanks to all those who have reviewed. To everyone who wondered at Trip being rather too accepting of his predicament, Malcolm has been thinking the same thing...
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Reed really didn't like the idea of leaving Trip behind at all. They had nearly lost him once and Reed had promised that he wouldn't let anything happen to him again, but here they were in the impossible situation of either killing two thousand Tien or leaving Trip where he was, a living part of a computer.
Archer had been furious but there was very little he could do with Trip surrounded by Tien security officers. Reed had quietly pointed out the tactical problems of his small group of security officers and the MACOs going up against the veritable army of Tien security guards. So Archer and T'Pol had decided to take the shuttlepod back to Enterprise to examine the data that T'Pol had collected. Archer had not accepted Trip's resignation, pointing out that it was premature. He hadn't wanted to leave Trip alone on the alien ship so Reed had agreed to stay. Reed was now sitting on the step beside the black cylinder holding a bizarre conversation with the disembodied voice of his friend.
"How can you be so calm about the whole thing?" asked Reed, when they were alone. He had expected Trip to be more angry, perhaps even scared, he knew that he certainly would have been. He hadn't expected him to be handling this so well. He was very afraid that the Tien had done something more to Trip than just connect him to their computer.
"Well, I don't really have much choice. This might not be my idea of how my life was going to work out but I can't just ignore two thousand people. Fighting this isn't going to do me any good. I mean I'm pissed about the whole damn thing, but the Tien were desperate and I can't say we wouldn't have acted the same way if we'd been in their situation," said Trip.
"I hope to god that isn't true," said Reed. "I hope we never force a living being to do something like this just for the sake of our own survival."
"When survival of your race is on the line people do desperate things," said Trip.
Reed didn't want to tell Trip that he'd already seen Archer do things that he would never have believed the man capable of before the Xindi attack on Earth. The possibility of having one's race wiped from the face of the planet certainly did put a different perspective on things, but he personally hadn't agreed with everything Archer had done. Just because the Xindi had killed millions it didn't mean that humans had to loose what made them human.
"Besides," said Trip, "I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything. I'm just not going to be able to go back to Enterprise." Trip felt something from the sensor net. He was still trying to get used to the sensors, especially the emotion sensors. It was as if everything he saw was coloured subtly and that colour indicated an emotion. "Malcolm, you don't need to feel guilty," said Trip working out what had disturbed him. "None of this was your fault."
"You can feel my emotions?" asked Reed.
"Yeah, the Rel Sevanne is empathic, like the Tien. I'm not the only organic technology in this ship. It has emotion sensors. I'm just getting the hang of them but from your reaction, I'm guessing I pegged you pretty well," replied Trip.
"It is my fault," said Reed. "I should have been sticking to you like glue the whole time we were on board this ship. Instead I'm off having fun chatting to their Weapons Master about the size of his guns. What kind of security officer am I? And more to the point, what kind of friend does that make me?"
"A pretty damn good one," replied Trip. "You're the one who's sitting here chatting to a voice in an empty room. It isn't your fault, everything I've done, everything that's happened, has been down to me. If I hadn't got distracted by Shar Jen I might have been a bit more wary about the Tien and what they were hiding."
"And I suppose it was your own fault that you got kidnapped by the Xindi too," said Reed.
"Oh I get it, that's what this is really all about. You think it was your fault that the Xindi captured me on that ship," said Trip. "Well that wasn't your fault either. You told me to keep my phaser handy and instead I was playing around with those alien engines. I had a weapon but I put it down when I was trying to crawl into a conduit, it kept bashing into my leg. It was my own stupidity that got me caught by the Xindi. Besides the way I heard it, it was you who pulled my sorry ass out of there."
"I was the one who found you," said Reed with nothing but pain in his voice. He still had bad dreams about finding Trip beaten half to death on the floor of the cell in the Xindi ship.
"Oh god, Malcolm, I'm so sorry," said Trip as he felt Malcolm's hurt too through the sensor net. He knew it had been tough on his friends the last few months but he had never understood just how hard Reed had taken the whole thing until now. No wonder he'd been so angry when he'd heard Trip had tried to interface with the Tien computer. After Reed had taken so much care over keeping Trip safe it was like a slap in the face for Trip to casually neglect his own safety.
"Why should you be sorry? You nearly died and I'm responsible for that, and the situation you find yourself in now," said Reed.
"Oh Malcolm, give it a rest, will you," said Trip. "I'm the Chief Engineer of a starship not a kindergarten teacher! I knew when I signed on that it was going to be dangerous, we all did. The Captain gave everyone the option of getting off when we were docked at Jupiter station and we all decided to stay. Anything which has happened to me while we're out here is down to me and no one else. You can try and make things less dangerous but you're never going to be able to make it risk free. Now promise me that you'll stop beating yourself up over this."
Reed nodded. "I'll try," he said.
"Good," said Trip.
"So, what's it like?" asked Reed.
"Weird," said Trip.
"Weird? That's the best description you can manage?" asked Reed.
"Well what do you want me to say? It's impossible for me to describe. I guess it's like my body is the Rel Sevanne and the sensors are my senses. The air recycling plant is my lungs, the hull is my skin and the warp engines are my heart. I can see anywhere in this ship where there are cameras and I can sense the emotions of two thousand Tien walking around the corridors. It's pretty damn well indescribable."
"I imagine it would be," said Reed.
"There's a whole load of fascinating stuff in the databanks as well, I'm just scratching the surface so far. This ship was grown, not built. Well some of it was built, but the outer hull was grown onto the superstructure. The Tien had to leave their home world so they built the Rel Sevanne to evacuate the remaining population. You remember me wondering where they got the materials to build such a huge ship?"
"Yes," said Reed, it had only been that morning although it now seemed like much longer ago than that.
"They broke up the inner planets of their solar system to get the building materials. It must have been amazing watching it all come together," said Trip.
"I'm sure it was," said Reed.
They continued talking about how the Rel Sevanne was built, until Trip sensed Reed was getting tired.
"You should get some sleep," said Trip. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Captain Archer told me to stay with you, and that's what I'm going to do," said Reed.
"You're dead on your feet, Malcolm. I don't think the Captain expected you to stay awake all night," said Trip. He silently sent some commands to a couple of Tien technicians to find a camp bed and set it up in the computer room.
"What about you? You must be tired too?" said Reed.
"I don't think that I need sleep anymore. My body isn't exactly functioning as normal," said Trip. "Just get some sleep, Malcolm."
"I'll be fine," said Reed, just as the Tien arrived with the bed. "This is going to take a little getting used to," he said.
"You have no idea," said Trip, who at that moment was monitoring over a hundred systems and was ordering the final repairs to the engine, Lirat. He had just noticed that Devas and Jerel needed complete overhauls as well, he would have to talk to Shar Jen about organising those. "Go on, get some sleep. I'll wake you if anything important comes up."
"Okay, Commander," said Reed and made his way to the camp bed in the corner of the room. He thanked the Tien technicians and laid down, suddenly realising just how fatigued he actually was.
"You'd better start calling me Patriarch," replied Trip.
"Until we've exhausted every single option for getting you out of here, I'm not calling you anything other than Trip or Commander," said Reed and drifted into sleep.
****
Reed was awoken by Trip and Shar Jen having a discussion. "Why can't you just keep calling me Trip?" asked the Commander.
"It is part of the ceremony. You need to take an official name. There has never been a Patriarch who was not Tien and it would make it easier for the people to accept you," replied Shar Jen.
"What were you thinking of calling me?" asked Trip.
"The Senior Council suggested Trip En Ath Tucker," said Shar Jen.
"Trip En, after Ten En?" asked Trip.
"Yes, the first two of our names are our given names, by our parents, the second two are our family names. You asked us to call you Trip, that is your given name. You need four names so it seems appropriate to use two of Ten En's to make up those that you are missing," said Shar Jen. "They must be single syllables apart from your last name."
"I guess so. Why not?" said Trip. "I need four names, it's only fitting that I get two from my predecessor."
"Commander, you don't need any more names, you're Commander Charles Tucker III, Trip to your friends," said Reed, sitting on his makeshift bed and rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them.
"It's only a ceremonial name, I'll still be Trip," said Trip.
"That isn't the point," said Reed. "You're not staying."
"Malcolm, don't make me go over this again," said Trip. "I might not be leaving."
"I just don't think you should be choosing a new name yet, that's all," said Reed.
"We need to perform the ceremony in the next two days," said Shar Jen. "Once the ceremony is performed he will be legally part of the Tien people."
"Fine," said Reed. "Two days, we'll be finished the repairs to Lirat. You can have your ceremony then. Until then, you're still just Trip."
"As you wish," said Shar Jen, "we can wait two days. Trip isn't going anywhere."
"We'll see about that," said Reed. He realised that he didn't like Shar Jen, she was trying to keep Trip and he was doing his best to take him away from her. The two goals were mutually exclusive and he was getting the impression that she didn't like him very much either. It worried him more that Trip seemed not to care that he might never leave the Tien ship. Reed couldn't understand why his friend wasn't fighting this harder than he was.
"After the ceremony we will expect you and your ship to leave," said Shar Jen. "We will take care of Trip from now on."
"Oh yes, like you've been taking care of him so far!" shouted Reed.
"Malcolm, stop it," said Trip. "This isn't helping." Reed fell silent. Trip was right, shouting wouldn't help anyone.
"I've got a shuttle coming in," said Trip. "It's the Captain, T'Pol and Phlox."
"I'll go down and meet them," said Reed, glad of an excuse to get away from Shar Jen.
"Okay, Malcolm," said Trip. "They're in docking bay three."
****
When Archer had contacted the Rel Sevanne for permission to dock he had nearly fallen off his seat when a familiar southern accent had answered his hail and directed him to docking bay three.
"Trip?" he had asked, but the voice hadn't shown any signs of recognition.
"Please proceed to docking bay three," had been the reply. They landed and were met by Lieutenant Reed.
"How are things, Malcolm?" asked Archer when he saw the Lieutenant approaching them.
"Pretty much the same as when you left, sir," said Reed. "They're talking about some sort of official inauguration ceremony for the new Patriarch. They've agreed to wait two days until we can at least see if we can come up with some sort of solution to this problem."
"At least that's something," said Archer.
"I also got the impression that they would be much more loath to let Commander Tucker go once the ceremony is performed. Shar Jen said something about him legally being part of the Tien after the ceremony," said Reed.
"We'd better come up with something in the next two days then," replied Archer.
"There is something else to consider," said T'Pol. "If we delay any longer we may jeopardise the mission."
"I'm aware of that, T'Pol," said Archer. "But I have to try to get Trip out of this. He didn't ask for this and I can't just leave him behind. This would be a lot easier if we didn't have two thousand Tien lives to consider.
"And the fact that we're seriously out-gunned, as well as out-numbered. I take it the Rel Sevanne has its weapons locked on Enterprise," said Reed.
"Your assumption is correct, Lieutenant," said T'Pol.
"Well perhaps I can help you come up with something," said Phlox. "Although T'Pol's scans were most useful in ascertaining Commander Tucker's condition, I do need to look at the life support devices that are currently sustaining him if we are ever going to disconnect him successfully. My medical tri-corder should provide us with more information."
"Follow me, doctor," said Reed and he led the way back to the computer room.
"How's he doing in himself?" asked Phlox.
"He seems to be doing remarkably well," said Reed. "Almost too well. It's as if he doesn't really care what happens to him. He seems to be completely resigned to the fact that he's stuck here."
"I'd best see him," said Phlox. "I can only imagine the psychological strain this is putting on him."
"Were you able to find out any more about the Tien?" asked Archer.
"A little, Trip has access to their databanks and told me about how the Rel Sevanne was built. He did tell me something else interesting, there are no more Tien, the two thousand odd on this ship are the last of their race," said Reed.
"What happened to the Tien homeworld?" asked T'Pol. "Why are these the only Tien?"
"I don't know," said Reed. "Trip might be able to tell us."
"I want to know what happened on their homeworld," said Archer. "I want to know why they're even out here and most of all I want to know why they haven't found some planet to settle on. We know they must have a good reason to stay on the ship if they're prepared to plug living beings into their computer."
"That does not necessarily follow, Captain," said T'Pol. "They may not see life as part of the Rel Sevanne's systems as any less fulfilling than any other occupation."
"No, but the Captain does have a point," said Reed. "They must have passed dozens of suitable planets in the ten generations that they've been out here."
"Maybe they are simply happy with their current way of life," said T'Pol.
"And maybe they have something to hide," said Archer. "Either way, these people kidnapped my Chief Engineer and I want to know more about them. So far they haven't told us a thing about themselves."
The four of them entered the computer room to see Nils Fen ordering guards be posted around the black cylinder which currently housed Trip.
"What's going on?" asked Archer.
"Just a precaution ordered by Kris Nor," said Nils Fen. "Trip is ours now, we won't let you take him from us."
"I tried to tell them that you wouldn't do that, Captain," said Trip's voice from somewhere in the room. "You know there's more than just my life riding on this."
"Yes, the entirety of the Tien race as I understand it," said Archer, only his voice's flat tones betraying his annoyance.
"You are correct, Captain," said Nils Fen. "We are all that is left of the Tien."
"Just how did an entire race come to be diminished to only two thousand people?" asked Archer.
"That is not your concern," said Nils Fen.
"Trip? What are the Tien hiding?" asked Reed.
"Hey, if they don't want you to know then I don't think I can tell you either," said Trip. "Besides I don't have access to everything until after the ceremony, there are bits of the databanks that are closed to me at the moment."
"If we gave him access to everything, it could overload his neurones," said Shar Jen. "We have to build up gradually."
"Pretty much what I told Malcolm last night is all I know," said Trip. He wasn't entirely telling them the truth but the Rel Sevanne had secrets that it would not let him divulge to an alien. He also had no desire to tell his Captain everything that he knew, the Tien were his people now and he had to protect them. "I heard your conversation in the corridor and I have to say I think you're wrong."
"You heard us?" asked Reed.
"Yeah, there are sensors all over this ship that pick up everything that goes on, I was tracking you from the docking bay," said Trip.
"What were they talking about?" asked Shar Jen.
"They were mostly wondering about why you haven't found some nice planet to settle on," said Trip to Shar Jen. "And trying to figure out if there's any way they can get me out of here."
"Trip!" said Archer. He couldn't believe Trip had just casually given out the details of their private conversation to an alien. "That was a private conversation between myself and my officers."
"Nothing on the Rel Sevanne is private," said Shar Jen. She felt Archer's anger and under that was a feeling of betrayal. It was the same feeling that she had felt from Trip when he had been being prepared for conjoining. Instead all she felt now from Trip was contentment, he was settling into his new role well and the ship was running as efficiently as it had when Ten En had been at his prime.
"If I may be allowed, I would like to take some scans of the Commander," said Phlox.
"Patriarch, his title is now Patriarch," said Shar Jen.
"Not for another two days, it isn't," said Reed.
"Let's not get into this again," said Trip. "I don't care what you call me. Trip will do just fine."
"Do I have your permission to take the scans I need?" asked Phlox.
"Sure, Doc, go ahead," said Trip. He was briefly reminded of a similar request from the doctor when he had been lying in his quarters recovering from his injuries acquired at the hands of the Xindi. Those memories were so distant now that it was almost as if they had happened to a completely different person and they seemed to be fading away even more, replaced by the bright, shining thing that was the Rel Sevanne in his mind. Each system was like a silver thread running through his mind, he could choose which thread to focus on and suddenly the thread would resolve itself into information. The nanites translated for him, carrying the pure data to him in terms that he could understand. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He was a living, breathing part of the living, breathing entity that was the Rel Sevanne and her people. He felt safe. He felt as if he belonged and he felt that this was where he should be.
He watched Phlox perform his scans with a kind of detachment. It had overtaken him gradually since he had been conjoined, but the feeling was overwhelming now. He was sure he had been angry about it, but he couldn't for the life of him work out why, this was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He wasn't Commander Tucker anymore, he was Trip En Ath Tucker, conjoined Patriarch of the Rel Sevanne.
"I think it's time that our guests returned to Enterprise," said Trip. "Nils Fen, would you please escort them back to the docking bay." It was time to cut the ties to his past.
"Trip? Don't you want us to stay?" asked Reed.
"Malcolm, you don't belong here," said Trip.
"And you do?" said Reed not believing what he heard his friend saying.
"I may not have known it, but this is where I belong, now and for the rest of my life," said Trip.
"Trip, listen to yourself," said Archer. "This isn't you talking. You're the Chief Engineer of Enterprise. Enterprise needs her Chief Engineer, remember? We need you to finish the mission, to find the Xindi, to stop more people dying on Earth. For Lizzie, Trip. For your sister."
"I remember, but my priorities have changed. I can't help you anymore. Lizzie would understand," said Trip.
"I'm not so sure that she would, Trip," said Archer.
"It doesn't matter anymore, once the repairs are complete the Rel Sevanne will be leaving and I don't think we'll be running into each other again," said Trip.
"Lizzie doesn't matter?" asked Reed incredulously. "What the bloody hell are you saying Trip? This wasn't the way you felt last week. You do remember the nightmares don't you? The ones in which you were trying to save Lizzie from the Xindi attack? The ones that stopped you from sleeping?!" His voice got louder with each question until he was shouting at the room.
"I remember them, they just don't hurt anymore," said Trip. "And what's so wrong with it not hurting? Don't you think I've had more than enough hurt for one lifetime? Lizzie, the Xindi, it's just too much. I'm part of something now. I've never felt so much like I belong. This is where I'm meant to be."
"What did you do to him?" asked Archer, angrily, looking at Shar Jen.
"Nothing," said Shar Jen. "Being conjoined has a way of giving a person a different perspective on life."
"Commander, your behaviour is very illogical. Perhaps you should examine your motivations behind this," said T'Pol.
"Trip, you have to fight this," said Archer. "This isn't you, it's the ship trying to absorb you."
"No, this is me, I just never realised it before. Nils Fen, remove Captain Archer, Lieutenant Reed, Sub-commander T'Pol and Dr Phlox from the computer room. Don't hurt them, if you can help it, but get them off my ship," said Trip.