T'Pol took a few deep breaths to steady herself. He had even come late, the odious man! If that had not been a deliberate ploy to vex her, then he was luckier than he was smart. Still, she must find her centre, the course of her life could depend upon the next few minutes.
"Come in," she said, affecting a neutrally chilly tone. All those times her mother had made her practice that voice...it had seemed such an illogical use of time. Yet now it was as if T'Les reached out from the past to protect her. To protect them. Her daughter, yes, but also her never- seen granddaughters, the memory of one, and the future of the other. In this moment, T'Pol treasured the memory, those hours of practice, and she wrapped the voice around her like a blanket, and like armour. "Sit down."
He did sit, wearing the smile of a victor. "I take it you've had time to consider my proposal?" He sneered.
Oh, she had.
She'd considered luring his to a failing airlock.
She'd considered ordering him onto Hoshi's mining barge and consequent exile.
She'd considered placing her fingers on his face and attempting to tear his knowledge about her child right out of his brain.
She'd considered bending to his will.
She'd considered breaking every tooth in his hateful, sneering head.
"Indeed I have," she answered in T'Les's chilly voice. "And I see no other solution to the unpleasant situation you have placed us in. You must resign, effective immediately."
There was little about this conversation which was not either frightening, or profoundly distasteful, but seeing that grin fall from his face was a small, sweet bright spot in the mire.
"I don't think you understand what is happening here," Halliwell snarled in shock, and poorly concealed fury.
T'Pol allowed one eyebrow to rise. "I understand perfectly, Crewman Halliwell. From what you have given me cause to know about your character, I see no way to salvage your career on Enterprise. I will not insult your intelligence by pretending this saddens me."
"You will give me that promotion, or I will tell Commander Tucker exactly how you ended up pregnant."
"That would be unwise," T'Pol replied, now lacing her voice with a tone one might use with a difficult child. "As things stand, I am already unable to give you a reference in good conscience. If you were to tell Commander Tucker anything, then your defects of character would become widely known and many more people would be unable to give you a reference in good conscience. I suggest you accept the consequences of your actions and not make things any worse for yourself."
"You're bluffing."
T''Pol sighed heavily. "It is not my fault, Mr Halliwell, that you engaged in blackmail so unskillfully. The problem, for your reference, is that I have no actual incentive to comply with your demands. Once you have what you want, you will still have as much leverage over me as you did before. Your lack of character informs me that you would only make ever more demands, until eventually meeting them would be impractical. All I would do by complying with your first demand would be to compromise myself. Therefore, I decline, and urge you to turn your attention to salvaging what reputation you still can."
"You bitch." Halliwell sprung to his feet radiating fury.
T'Pol began to calculate how many broken bones might be defended as reasonable should the altercation turn physical.
"You BITCH!"
This second invective was louder and spittle-flecked. His face was reddening.
Now would be the time for deescalation tactics, T'Pol thought. If I felt so inclined. I don't.
"You haven't won," Halliwell shouted. "Don't you dare think you've won! That thing you're carrying, that monster you whipped up in your laboratory? It's an abomination, and so are you, and your relationship. So, I am going to tell Tucker. And I'm not going to stop there. And sure, you can fire me, but you can't ruin my career. To the right people, I'll be a hero."
"Perhaps," T'Pol conceded coolly. "But not to Starfleet."
Curling his lip, Halliwell stalked out of the room.
With a heavy heart, T'Pol followed.
Somehow or other, Travis had found himself in charge of liaising with the away team regarding the mission to Hoshi's barge.
It wasn't going well.
"All right, then I'll go," Malcolm was saying over the crackly comm line.
Travis rolled his eyes.
" Oh, don't be ridiculous, Malcolm," Liz snapped in reply. "You can barely stand. Or, you know, hold more than one thing at a time."
"A scanner IS only one thing, Liz. And you can't go up there alone."
"Yes, I can!"
"NO," Travis said at almost the same time Malcolm did. "Liz, listen, won't you at least consider going with Phlox?"
"I'm not going anywhere with him!"
"Then maybe Mettus could..."
"That's no better!" Liz insisted.
"Okay," Malcolm replied, sounding defeated. "So, it's got to be Alice, then. Travis, do you have any idea how much longer it's going to take you to bail her out, or whatever?"
"I was wondering if you were ever going to ask," Travis replied coolly. "Actually, I'm a little worried about her. The authorities are giving me the run-around, worse than usual. They won't even let me talk to her."
"That's typical isn't it?" Malcolm replied lightly. "She comes charging down here, following the siren song of Denobulan babies in need, then gets herself arrested and lost in the Denobulan justice system almost immediately."
"The siren song of Denobulan babies?" Travis replied incredulously. "That's what Alice told you, is it?" Then he thought, And if you actually believed it, I know a nice moon you can buy...
"No, that's what Hoshi told me"
The casual reply landed in Travis's chest like a shard of ice. "Oh, did she?" he laughed bitterly.
Malcolm ignored it, if he'd heard it at all. "Travis, can you try to figure out when Alice can get herself back here, and then call me back? I'll see if I can work something out this end."
"I can hear you, you know" Liz grumbled.
"Sure thing, Malcolm," Travis answered. "Anything for you."
T'Pol kept pace with Halliwell, as he marched towards the transporter room. He must have checked where Commander Tucker was before meeting with her, T'Pol realised. She wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.
"I'm nearly there," Commander Tucker said querulously upon seeing two science officers march into the room. "These things do take time you know. Site-to-site transport is a bear and I'd rather nobody got turned into goop. It just wouldn't be good resource management."
"I have important information for you, Commander" Halliwell said with a triumphant glance at T'Pol.
"Oh?" Trip answered Halliwell, but he was looking at T'Pol, in mild bemusement.
And he continued looking at her, as Halliwell began his pronouncement. As one fact after another fell from his sneering lips. Even after Halliwell was done, Trip still looked at her, although by then his expression had turned to stone.
T'Pol held his gaze. She could do that much.
Finally, Trip looked away, toward Halliwell, and answered the man. "And?"
Halliwell blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Well, crewman," Trip said, exhaling loudly. "The way you came barging in here, when you knew I was busy with a critical project, and announced you had 'important information' for me? That made me naturally assume you were going to tell me something I didn't already know? Are you?"
Halliwell gaped at him. "You KNOW?"
Trip smiled thinly. "Well, I'm not an idiot, you know. Sometimes, the accent fools people, but if they are bright, the rank usually clears it up before they make an ass of themselves."
"But at the poker game, you never said..."
"I don't discuss such things in public," Trip interrupted casually. "At least not with nobodies like you. Now, go away. I've got work to do."
Rooted to the spot, T'Pol watch Halliwell do so, his face a mask of shock.
"You knew?" She asked Trip, the moment the door closed.
He looked at her sadly for a moment. "No, T'Pol," he said softly. "No, I didn't know. I wasn't going to give that slimy, little shit the satisfaction, but...no. I had no idea." Then he turned back to his work and refused to speak to her further.
Eventually, she had no choice but to leave.