Chapter 2
Within minutes the craft was at the edge of the phenomenon, T'Pol immediately getting to work, taking numerous scans and other readings. The silence inside the craft was almost unbearable, T'Pol would have normally preferred not talking about trivial things, but in the years that she had been on the Earth ship, she had grown…accustomed to their idle conversation. After several long and arduous minutes, Trip broke the silence.
"So… How was your honeymoon?" he asked, his voice steady, revealing no apparent emotion.
"Honeymoon?"
"Yeah, you were on Vulcan for two weeks, I figured…" Trip left the sentence hanging, causing T'Pol to draw her own conclusions.
"Vulcan's don't have honeymoon's." She responded almost instantaneously. "After the ceremony I went to Mount Seleya to meditate….Alone." She continued, emphasising the last word. She didn't know why, but she wanted, no, needed him to know that nothing happened between her and Koss.
Trip nodded, he felt slightly better with her answer. In truth he didn't even know why he asked it, perhaps he could have gotten some…closure if he had heard she had gone off with Koss to start her new life. Trip cleared his throat as another uncomfortable silence came over the craft. T'Pol went back to analysing the data streaming across her screen, whilst Trip stared absently out of the shuttle's front view screen. Neither of the two Enterprise officer's even attempted to star up a new conversation, the next hour passing in relative silence.
"Enterprise to shuttle pod one." The sudden noise caused Trip to jump, he leaned over and activated the com.
"We're here captain, what can we do for you?"
"We have just received a distress signal from a nearby system. It appears a small ship is having some problems and could use our assistance."
"Is it serious captain" T'Pol interjected
"No, but it will be soon if they don't get some help. We should be back in around eighteen hours. Do you know when you will have completed your scan's T'Pol?" The captain questioned
"I estimate we will be finished in five point three hours, however the planet's orbit will soon mean the phenomenon will dissipate, perhaps even cease before Enterprise has time to return."
"Are we suggesting that we leave you?"
"Shuttle pod one is more than capable of sustaining our needs until Enterprise returns." T'Pol answered back
Archer considered what the Vulcan had said for a few seconds.
"Very well, I'll see that Enterprise doesn't take too long, and also T'Pol, a message from Vulcan came through for you, it was marked urgent. Do you want Hoshi to re-route it to the shuttle?" Archer asked
T'Pol looked over to the other occupant of the pod. His back was to her and he was still staring out of the main view screen so she couldn't see his reaction.
"That is unnecessary Captain, it can wait until I am back on Enterprise." She responded.
It was no doubt Koss. Her husband had allowed her to return to Enterprise, even thought newly married couple's always resided together for one year after the bonding ceremony. He had allowed her to resume her duties, but she knew that was only going to be temporary, soon she would have to return to Vulcan, never again to return to Enterprise. The transmission was more than likely telling her how long she had left to serve on the human vessel. It seemed that now not even where she worked was left up to her.
"Ok, be careful you two, and remember Enterprise will be out of communications range so try not to get into any trouble." He said, directing the last part more at Trip than anyone else.
"We'll try our best Cap'n, Tucker out."
"We should attempt to finish these scans soon." T'Pol stated.
"Yes, I wouldn't want you to keep Koss waiting." Trip answered back, the words slipping out before he even had a chance to stop them.
"There was no way of knowing who the message is from." T'Pol replied back.
"It'll be hubby, probably checking up on you to see if us illogical human's are bothering you, or tainting you with our pesky emotions." Trip retorted.
"You are getting emotional commander."
Trip closed his eyes, he knew she was right but something in him had just snapped. "Yeah, well so what if I am, you know for such an apparently logical species you still have so many illogical and archaic traditions. What's logical about marring someone you hardly know, someone who blackmailed you into getting him to be with you. Someone you don't even love!"
"Vulcan's do not experience emotions Commander, feelings are irrelevant." The Vulcan responded, trying to convince herself as much as Trip.
"Well maybe you should have told me that before I fell in love with one."
T'Pol's eyes widened as she realised what he had just said. Was it true? She knew he had feelings for her, but she had never realised the extent of them. Did he… love her?
Trip immediately regretted his slip up. He had promised himself he was never going to say anything but she just got him so, so worked up! He knew he was going to regret what he was about to say for the rest of his life but it wasn't fair on him or her. And besides he would feel better if T'Pol hated him, than if she felt anything else for him. If he knew she felt something, even something miniscule for him he would get his hopes up. Something which he couldn't allow himself to do, he couldn't get hurt like this again.
"You know just forget what I said. This is just some human crush I've had on you since the Expanse. I guess I've just got a thing for alien women. It's not like I didn't enjoy your experiment. I'm all for progressing the field of science…Just ask Liana, Princess Kaitaama, and Ah'lenn." he grinned. Outside he displayed a callous, cocky façade. Inside he was killing himself, he knew comparing T'Pol to those other women - as if she meant nothing to him would hurt her, but it's what he had to do. Nothing had ever happened between him and the other women, but T'Pol didn't know that. He couldn't help it, it was a defence mechanism, designed to stop him from getting hurt further.
The engineer's cruel words stabbed at T'Pol's heart like a knife. To be compared to those other women, as another one of his conquests was something she never thought he would say. She pushed down all emotion that threatened to spill. She remembered back to one of Enterprise's first missions. The Commander had gotten impregnated by his 'exploration' of another species. She had been right in her assumptions then, he was just an arrogant, emotion human being who just wanted one thing. Why had she ever thought that there could have been something more between them?
T'Pol's Vulcan mask didn't change but Trip could tell his words had affected her. Her eyes almost shone with unshed tears. He felt like a completely heartless bastard and he knew he was right
"It is fortunate that I chose you to carry out my exploration into human sexuality with you then commander. Any other human would have needed some sort of emotional relationship. It appears you do not." She answered back, her voice steady.
As their exchange continued T'Pol's focus was taken away from the data stream. Both occupants were unaware of the dangers that were building up outside the craft.
"Perhaps my marriage was for the best, now you are free to be impregnated by any species you come across." She stated bluntly back, he knew it was a low shot but he deserved it.
"Perhaps it was." he shot back, turning back around in his chair to stare out of the view screen. The conversation had ended but the two officers were still left reeling from it. Trip squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out everything. He hated Koss, he hated Vulcan, he hated the Captain for making him go on this damn mission, but most of all he hated himself.
T'Pol meanwhile immersed herself back into her work. She would not let this human get to her! So then why did she feel worse now that she did when she was marrying Koss? At least then she had thought the commander felt something for her, and if she had to admit it, she a Vulcan felt something for him. Even if she didn't understand what it was. But now it seemed she was mistaken. He had never felt anything for her it seemed. She clenched her jaw, inside torrents of emotion cascaded around her, she would not get emotional!
The next few hours passed in complete silence, the two occupants of the pod left alone with their thoughts. With no apparent warning a slight shudder shook the shuttle, it was nothing to cause concern, but within minutes the slight shudder had grown exponentially, causing the two Enterprise personnel to be thrown around the small craft.
"What the hell is going on?" Trip shouted, as another wave hit the shuttle.
"The phenomenon is affecting the shuttle's systems. We're losing control."
As the shuttle lurched forwards the couple's problems were put aside as they worked effortlessly with each, trying to regain control over the craft.
"It's no good, we need to land."
"The planet below us has a suitable atmosphere, but the average temperature is minus thirty seven degrees, we'll freeze to death before long."
"Well right now I don't really think we have a choice." Trip answered back, as he attempted to steer the shaking shuttle towards the enormous icy planet below.
"This is shuttle pod one, we are losing control and are attempting to make an emergency landing." The sound of T'Pol's voice caught Trip's attention, he looked over to her, she was talking into the com; attempting to contact Enterprise.
"I repeat this is shuttle pod one, we are losing control and are attempting to make an emergency landing." She repeated again.
"Did the signal get through?" Trip queried
"I can not be certain, the phenomenon could have blocked the signal."
The shuttle tore through the planets atmosphere as the craft veered towards the surface. The front of the ship began to glow red as they made their descent towards the surface.
"We're coming in too fast" Trip cried out as the planet's white surface became nearer and nearer. "I can't make a stable landing."
The craft dived towards the planet, the shuttle bouncing off it's surface as it slid along metres and metres of the crisp white ice. Trip became briefly aware of T'Pol calling his name, as pain flooded his senses. His last few seconds were spent regretting what could have been the last thing he said to T'Pol, before the world around him went black!