Disclaimers, etc. in Teaser

Author's Note: Yes, there's more to go on this time... Thank you, reviewers. (It took true generosity to leave a review for such a short entry last time!)

Jon sat at his desk in his ready room and reflected that it wasn't very often he had to entertain a higher-ranking officer there. He was glad Gardner hadn't expected him to give up his seat.

They were currently orbiting Tellar Prime, where the admiral had just signed the final agreement with the other coalition members on the collaborative effort to reverse engineer the future mirror universe's shuttle and contents. Jon was actually a little disappointed at how quickly the agreement had been finalized. Columbia had brought the admiral out, which had given Jon and Erika the opportunity for a couple of discreet visits beyond their official meetings, though having the boss around did make those moments feel even more furtive than usual.

Of course, if he found out, what could Gardner really do about it? Jon and Erika were of equal rank now, and Starfleet had invested a great deal in each of them. If they could put up with Trip and T'Pol, they sure as hell ought to be able to put up with them.

Hell, he could just go ahead and tell him right now.

Except that Erika would kill him.

Not to mention, it might make him look as if he'd let himself be played. She'd driven an awfully hard bargain for Trip's official return.

Gardner sipped Chef's just-delivered coffee and looked pleasantly surprised. "I'd say Columbia's chef has the edge on pastry, but he's not even close to your coffee."

"Chef prides himself on stocking the best ingredients. It costs more, but I consider it a good investment in morale." Especially Chef's.

Gardner put his coffee down and started to pace.

"Mind the beam, sir." Gardner had taken a pretty good knock in the head the night before.

The admiral scowled and sat back down. "Coridan has petitioned to be included in any future coalition activities … with the emphasis on any."

"Do they know what we're up to here?"

"Not from us. We all agreed to keep that classified. But that doesn't mean they haven't heard something. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to sniff around."

Given the elaborate masks Coridanites typically wore when away from their own planet, Jon considered that a fairly awkward metaphor – you wouldn't even know they had noses behind those things. Personally, he felt there was something dodgy about a species that wouldn't show its face to strangers. "The Tellarites don't trust Coridan's relationship with the Orions."

"I don't blame them. Our intelligence suggests that at least some elements in their government are cozy with the Syndicate. However, we can't afford to turn our back on Coridan's dilithium."

No, none of them could, Archer knew, though the Tellarites had certainly tried. "Perhaps we could get them involved in something less sensitive, such as drafting the charter for the new coalition. Though I can't say it's too encouraging that we're keeping secrets from each other before we even get started."

"This is one hell of a secret. Frankly, your decision to share it as widely as you did has raised a number of eyebrows. There are also a few who feel we should have tried harder to retrieve the vessel for ourselves."

"That would have been a much greater risk. As it is, I don't think the Tholians are even certain who blew it up."

"Oh, I agree that destroying it was your best option. I just hope it won't come back to bite us both in the butt."

Jon sighed. "That's pretty much true of anything we do out here, isn't it?"

Gardner got up again, carefully ducking the beam and going to the window. "I think the need to find scapegoats has gotten more pronounced since the Xindi attack. You wouldn't believe some of the conspiracy theories out there." He lowered his voice. "Speaking of fodder for crazies, what's the latest chapter on your first officer and your chief engineer?"

Jon took a sip of coffee. "There is none, officially."

"And unofficially?"

"Let's just say that if you ever decide to separate them, we'll probably lose them both."

Gardner made his way back to his seat. "Maybe Enterprise isn't really the best spot for them anymore. I wish we could use them on this project."

Jon sat up in alarm. "Admiral, I don't think…"

"Ah, don't worry. It's not an option. The Tellarites have ruled out having any women involved."

Jon sat back. "No women? What's that about?"

Gardner shrugged. "I don't know. They claim it would be problematic."

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a female Tellarite. Do they even have females?"

"I'm told they do. But perhaps that's not really any of our business."

Jon grimaced. "We're not even going to consider individual rights in this Coalition?"

"Are you suggesting we should demand basic Human rights for people who aren't even Human?"

"As I recall, the Vulcans were very interested in the rights we granted citizens of United Earth when they first approached us."

Gardner snorted. "That's only because the Vulcans love to write long reports. They've been trading with the Tellarites for hundreds of years. Nor did they raise any objection to the Tellarites' requirement. The Andorians fussed for awhile, mostly because their best engineers tend to be female, but they ultimately went along, too."

The door buzzed, and opened to admit Erika. Jon wondered if she'd heard about this requirement. She smiled at Jon, then turned to Gardner. "Admiral. Are we still getting underway at 1000 hours?"

"Captain Hernandez wants to get away with all her new crewmembers before I have any second thoughts," Jon said. "You are still leaving me Trip?"

"Of course. And Reed, and Sato, and Mayweather, too. And how fair is that?"

Gardner chuckled. "Save the planet and you'll be able to protect your senior officers from other captains, too, Erika. Anyway, Jon tells me you've picked off the best young talent in every department."

Erika smiled. "I certainly tried."

Jon grumbled, "Trip had damned well better stick around for awhile."

x x x

T'Pol buzzed, then used her code to enter her bond mate's quarters. Trip had given it to her a long time ago, but she had finally decided that their relationship was such that she should start using it instead of waiting for him to open the door. She still buzzed first, though. That was simple courtesy.

He smiled from where he stood over an open duffle, and showed her the red t-shirt in his hand. "Finally got my stuff back from Columbia." That ship had already been docked with them for two days, but Trip had spent the majority of his spare time in T'Pol's quarters, happily exercising some of his more pleasant prerogatives as her bond mate.

She went up to a large brass item that he hadn't returned to its usual spot yet. "What exactly is this device?"

"It's an antique diving helmet that I turned into an accent lamp," he said, picking it up and putting it on top of his wardrobe.

"Why?"

"Well…" He stuck his tongue in his mouth, and she wondered if he was hesitating because he was trying to figure out how to explain it to a non-Human, or for some other reason. "I think it looks nice." He tapped it on the side and the small light inside turned on. "It adds a little bit of warmth to my room. Kind of like one of your candles, only without the scent … or the fire hazard."

"You don't like the scent of my candles?"

"I love the scent of your candles. It's all those open flames I'm not too keen on."

He could never quite let go of his disapproval of that, despite her excellent record of not burning down her quarters. "I suppose I could attempt to meditate to an artificial flame."

"Nah. The captain gave you your exemption. Hopefully we'll never have to find out just how good the fire suppression system in your cabin is."

She watched as he unpacked. They had already accepted the reality that they must maintain separate quarters. This was not without its advantages, for space was tight and Trip certainly had his own style. She watched as he lifted his Hawaiian shirt from a duffel bag and hung it.

He had his own style in other matters as well. "Trip … why didn't you want me to tell Ms. Cardini and Mr. Khan what we learned about Mr. Carter?"

"It would have just made them feel bad."

"Yet you agreed we should tell them he was dead."

"If we didn't, they might still be wondering if he was alive somewhere, or think that we ended up killing him because of their information. This way there's a little more closure and a little less potential for guilt."

"Then a lie of omission that is designed to prevent suffering is morally acceptable to you."

His eyes narrowed. "Yes. But I'm not bonded to Ahmed or Tamar. I don't need to share everything with them."

Ah. She sat down in his desk chair. It seemed to her that they had been warily circling each other over this exact question for much of their relationship, even in earlier years when they were no more than friends and colleagues. "You feel I have an obligation to share 'everything' with you?"

He sighed. "I know you can't tell me about Vulcan warp technology … or whatever the hell it is you did with Jon and Travis on that super-secret Vulcan mission you went on a couple of years ago. But I would expect to hear about anything real important to you personally. I'd sure as hell expect to know anything personal that Jon knows." He put down the shirt in his hands and turned to give her his full attention. "For example, I'm still wondering why he asked me not so long ago if I knew what your 'prognosis' was."

She blinked. That had not been terribly discreet of the captain.

He smiled at her, perhaps intending reassurance, but it actually came across as more of a grimace. "So … T'Pol … what is your prognosis?"

x x x

Travis went to collect Tamar and Ahmed from their guest quarters and escort them to the air lock. Neither had accumulated more than a small satchel of possessions after losing everything when the Orions had captured their freighter and its crew. Travis hoped they had some people and maybe even some stuff waiting at home. If this had ever happened to him in his days on Horizon, there would have been nothing left at all.

He said, "Paul tells me you're both welcome on the Horizon if you decide you want to ship out again."

Tamar smiled sadly. "That's kind of him. And you, Travis."

Ahmed didn't smile. "I'd like to spend some time at home before I make any decisions. And the sooner we get there, the better."

They'd both become more anxious the longer Enterprise had stayed in orbit around Tellar Prime. "You'll be there soon," Travis said. "Columbia with an admiral aboard is about as safe a return voyage as you can get. I believe Ambassador Soval's transport may be accompanying you part of the way back as well."

"Good," Ahmed said curtly, and gestured for Travis to lead the way.

Travis knew that he and Tamar had been sharing quarters for reassurance, although they had insisted they were not 'together'. "So … are you guys still going to be sticking together once you get back home?"

Tamar gave Ahmed an uncertain look. "Our families get us first … and then, I don't know."

Ahmed said, "I feel like I'm not even sure who I am anymore. I'm just hoping we can avoid a bunch of reporters in our faces."

Tamar said, "I plan to visit Seth's parents. And some of the other families, too, I guess."

Ahmed shook his head. "And I know I'm not up to that."

"Well," Travis said. "You should be proud that you escaped. That took a lot of guts. Not to mention we wouldn't even have known about that ship without your help."

Ahmed's expression turned fierce. "I wish they'd used it to blast those Orions out of existence once and for all."

x x x

One of the benefits of being a gifted young engineer in the government's employ was access to the premiere pleasure sty in the capital. Certainly the young man Shev was wasting no time in taking advantage of his new privilege. Malaara recognized him immediately, for this was his second night in a row.

Ah, the appetites of youth.

"How can I assist you?" she asked politely. It appeared that his anxious survey of the room was not pleasing him.

"Where is Patania?"

Oh dear. "Why do you ask?"

He drew himself up imperiously. "Just answer my question, woman."

She straightened to match him. "Don't try to pull rank with me, shoat. Perhaps she is with another man. Possessiveness is frowned upon in this sty."

But just then Patania arrived breathlessly. She went right up to Shev. "Can I serve you, sir?"

Malaara watched him try not to smile and fail. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I believe you'll do."

Patania held out her arm and led him away. Malaara watched irritably, but let it happen.

One of the other women, Reenie, rose from her seat next to the mud pool and approached her. "Is something the matter?"

The manageress frowned. "I shouldn't have allowed it."

"They're both so young. What harm could there be in it?"

Malaara sighed. Clearly, Reenie had never seen all the damage that young love could do.

To be continued...