—Chapter 26—

On the twelfth day since her mate's departure, T'Pol furtively entered Trip's quarters – she'd taken to sleeping here, and although a few crewmen had noticed her slipping in or out of the Commander's quarters, they'd all had the decency to pretend that she was invisible.

She slipped out of her clothes and onto the Commander's bunk, settling herself into her meditative pose. Slowly and methodically she severed the lines which held her to this place, and then found herself in her white space, the mental space she used exclusively for meditation. She closed her eyes now, and let herself drift in this void, her worries for the Commander dissipating into this nothingness, her petty aggravations dissipating into this nothingness, her very thoughts stilling, for the essence of this place was peace.

How long she drifted in this void, she could not tell, for timelessness came part and parcel with this place, but gradually, she became aware of a change in her white space, a change in this changeless space, and T'Pol opened her eyes.

Her white space had transformed into darkness, a place of shadows lit only by a single green light, small, but bright. This had never happened before, so T'Pol stood, wary now, her attention drawn to a coffin like box in the middle of the room.

"Why am I here," she thought. "What is this place? What does that coffin contain?"

She could have retreated from this place, back onto the Enterprise, for this place was a mental construct, but it was not her nature to retreat out of fear, so she approached the metal coffin. A single button marred the smooth surface, green colored, lit from the back. This was the source of the light. Taking a deep breath, T'Pol pressed the button and quickly stepped back as the lid slid aside to the left.

Nothing popped out, so T'Pol stepped closer, muscles ready to spring away, should the need arise, yet when she finally saw what the coffin contained, her heart stilled. It was Trip!

She knew he still lived, for once a Bond was severed by a death, the still living partner of the Bond died soon after, either quickly and gracefully, or painfully and in madness, though that sad state was usually medically terminated these days, but the other always died. It was the most unpleasant part of the Bond, but it was more than offset by a lifetime of pleasure and companionship which the unBound could not even imagine.

So, he still lived. What then, this place? A vision of the future? Then the Commander moved slightly, and T'Pol heard the splash of water. She gave a mental groan, for she now felt like a fool.

This 'coffin' was an isolation tank in which the occupant floated on a body of salty water, heated to the temperature of his body, to duplicate the feeling of weightlessness. Further, the tank was soundproofed and completely dark, so that the mind might be set adrift as well. There were several uses for this device, some meditative, but the most common use was as a medical device, to speed physical recovery time in the infirm, or less commonly, the athlete.

This had to be something connected with the Bond she shared with Commander Tucker. She'd never heard of this ability, but then Vulcans were surprisingly secretive about many aspects of the Bond. She drew closer to Trip, to better look upon his face, and slowly reached out to touch him. It was then that she go the shock of her life, for just as the Commander's eyes suddenly popped open and his lips began to curve into a smile, she felt his telepathic sending sliding along the Bond like an electric eel, and felt that sending blossom into the sound of the Commander's voice.

"It's about time, my lovely tel'su. I'd begun to give up hope that you would hear my call."

Tel'su. Bond-mate. I'd begun to give up hope that you would hear my call... That meant that the Commander had done this on purpose, thought T'Pol, and it rankled the SubCommander for a moment, that the male had greater insight into the Bond and it's workings for the first year or so. That slight aggravation was nothing compared to the feeling of standing in the presence of her mate, once again, despite a separation of many light-years.

"Help me out of this tub, T'Pol," said Trip. "I'm probably as wrinkled as a prune!"

"We're in a mental construct, Commander," said T'Pol smartly, as she aided the Commander. "That water is not real."

Trip looked at T'Pol and smiled, while raising his hand to eye-level. It was indeed pruny.

"This mental space responds to our input, T'Pol, so if I expect to be wrinkled, I will be wrinkled."

That made sense to T'Pol, then she said, "Why did you imagine yourself in that isolation tank?"

"I'm in an isolation tank right now, T'Pol. I've been popping into one every day, helps with the visualization and imagery exercises I use to retain what I learned here, then tonight I had the thought to reach out to you. This baby really helps one focus the mind. When I get back to the Enterprise I'm building some of these for the crew."

"Sound idea," said T'Pol, then looked with surprise at the Commander's perverted smile. "Commander?"

"You're nude, T'Pol. Not that I object, mind you."

"Oh, yes," said T'Pol, and keeping in mind the Commander's previous words, made a slight shift of perception, and half the room in which they stood became the Commander's quarters, showing T'Pol's body resting in a trance, as her consciousness lived here, in this place.

"Nice," said Trip. "Hey, those are my quarters!"

"I have missed you, Commander, and I find that sleeping surrounded by your scent ensures that I get a proper regenerative rest. It is logical that I do my best to maximize my efficiency. Do not judge me harshly."

"I will not judge you at all, SubCommander," said Trip, reaching out to caress T'Pol's imaginary breast.

Startled, T'Pol was suddenly clothed in her uniform. It vanished in a second, as if pulled apart in a thousand different directions, under the Commander's influence.

"I apologize, Commander. You have every right to look upon your mate," said T'Pol, and in the blink of an eye Trip found himself naked as well. "I was just startled."

T'Pol's slight smile told Trip that she was both, pleased to see her mate naked, and a quick study, for she'd learned the rules of this place quickly enough.

"There was no need for an apology, T'Pol. I felt your surprise, along the Bond."

"I would love to hear what you have been up to since you left the Enterprise, Commander, but perhaps we could first divert ourselves with something a bit more agreeable," said T'Pol, and suddenly Trip's bunk expanded to the size of king sized bed, a veritable playpen.

T'Pol looked at Trip, and there was something shy in that glance, a very intimate invitation. With the reckless grin of a man charging into battle, Trip tackled T'Pol, taking them both to the mattress for the count. Hours later, satiated for the moment, T'Pol decided to satisfy her curiosity.

"So, tell me Commander, what hav—"

"Damn it!' said Trip, and T'Pol saw the Commander vanish in an instant.

Back in her body, on the Enterprise, T'Pol took note of the time. 06:00. She and the Commander had been in communion since 01:00, when she'd begun her meditations. She was uncertain of what had happened to the Commander, but it did not seem to be anything overly serious. She would take a nap after her shift, then begin her meditations at the same time this coming night and hope that the Commander would do the same.