Chapter 7: Just go with it
Trip walked through the door of the Vulcan High Council and took a seat on one of the uncomfortable stone benches carved out of the ground there. He settled himself down and took on the practiced air of a Vulcan. The unemotional mask and rigid posture came as a second nature to Trip after living as a Vulcan for nearly two years. Minister T'Pau was still having Trip investigate various members of her administration. Today he expected her to give him another assignment. He wasn't sure but he felt like it was probably going to have something to do with the recent set-backs to the warp research facilities project. Humans and Vulcans were working side by side with full disclosure for the first time in their mutual history. The project was searching for a way to get Starfleet vessels up to Warp 7 in time for the new Defiant-class ships that were on the drafting table. Two weeks ago they seemed to be right on track for their deadline but then all of a sudden they seemed to be five steps behind.
The door opened up across from him and Minister T'Pau's private aid looked at him. Trip stood and walked briskly into the Minister's office. T'Pau was seated behind her desk and glanced up from the PADD in front of her when she heard him enter. Trip stood in front of the desk with his hands clasped behind his back and waited for her to begin speaking.
"Men-hilsu Voras, have a seat." Trip took the seat directly in front of T'Pau and looked her in the face. The fact that T'Pau still needed his assistance should have been disconcerting. The longer Trip had to be Voras the harder it would be for him to become Trip Tucker again. Trip couldn't let it get to him though, he had a planet to worry about, a coalition to protect, and a war to fight. He knew that the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few or the one. He just wished he wasn't always the one.
"I have made arrangements for you to visit the warp research facility tomorrow morning. You will investigate the inconsistencies in their reports and discretely check their equations. If you are able to facilitate a quicker progress towards Warp 7 you will also leave that information with an engineer on our staff who is briefed on the situation. I believe you are acquainted with the engineer, a Lieutenant Commander Hess. She will be your contact at the facility and will assist you in your investigation."
Trip controlled his surprise and excitement over the prospect of seeing Janet again. He calmed his emotions and replied. "Yes Minister. What time am I to report to the facility?"
"0900 tomorrow morning. Lieutenant Hess will meet you in her office for a debriefing before you begin your investigation." T'Pau stood signaling that the meeting was ended. She raised her hand in the ta'al and Trip mirrored her action. "Live long and prosper men-hilsu Voras. Send my regards to your wife and child."
"Thank you Minister. Peace and long life."
Hess was sitting behind her desk looking down at the stack of PADDs in front of her with barely veiled disgust. Trip gently nocked on the door before he entered. The sight in front of him nearly made him laugh out loud.
"Well, isn't this a change. You sittin' behind a desk and me free to get my hands dirty." He smiled when she looked up after hearing the familiar voice. She looked absolutely bewildered.
"Trip?" She said it with a voice filled with confusion and a hint of hope. "I… but you're…. dead." The last word was a whisper and it ripped through Trip like a photon torpedo. His face took on a look of compassion that seemed out of place on his altered Vulcan features.
"I know Janet, I know. From here on out I'm not Trip or Commander Tucker. Hell, I'm not even human. Only you will know who I really am, but for the purpose of this investigation you need to refer to me as Investigator Voras or just Voras. I'll explain everything some day but for now I need you to trust me and just go along with this act." He thought about it for a moment, his tongue moving around in his cheek and he wiped his hand across his mouth. "How about you come to my house for dinner this weekend? I'm sure T'Pol would like to see you again and you can meet Tuck." He smiled big when he mentioned his son. "He's already lightyears past where I was as a baby. He's a smart one Janet and he's only going to get smarter. With a mom like T'Pol I'm not surprised."
Hess had the biggest smile plastered on her face. "T'Pol? My God you finally married her. It's about damn time Trip!" She had stood up and reached over and socked him in the arm. "I was beginning to think you were the most pig headed man in the universe. Wait? Baby? You have a baby? You don't waste time do you?" She smiled. It was a big huge smile and he returned it with one of his own. She chuckled. "Maybe I'm crazy but I'll go along with it Investigator Voras and I'm looking forward to that dinner. I remember what little Lizzie looked like, you and T'Pol make fine looking children." Once she said it she realized how Trip might still be holding on to pain about the baby. "I'm sorry Trip I didn't mean…"
He waved his hand in front of his face. "It's ok Janet, It's been years since we lost Lizzie. T'Pol and I have grieved. I haven't lost her, we haven't lost her, but we are moving on in order to honor her memory." He smiled a small smile and took a seat in front of her desk. "Now tell me about your warp problems."
She sighed and sat back down. "Well it all started about two weeks ago when we brought in this new guy from Andoria..."
The warp facility was a thing of beauty. The hum of a warp engine filled the air and Trip could feel the gentle vibrations in the ground as the matter/anti-matter regulators did their work. The whole facility was sterile white and had the feel of a Vulcan architect. The floor plan was very logical and didn't have the illogical aesthetic look that Human buildings had. Trip walked down the corridors and took in the whole place. He maintained the stoic facade and carried a PADD filled with the equation T'Pau had asked him to review. Hess was giving him the grand tour of the place and introduced him to the various scientists and engineers they encountered. The humming became stronger as they moved closer to the room holding the actual engine.
They turned the corner and Trip took in a sharp breath. He walked forward reverently and placed a gentle hand on the casing surrounding the warp engine and smiled a little Vulcan smile. "She's beautiful." He whispered to Hess who chuckled.
"I thought you'd react like this. Want to take a look at the schematics and data?" She almost laughed at the look of pure joy that cross his face.
"You really know a way into a guys heart." He removed his hand from the casing and followed Hess over to the computer terminal. It's a good thing they were all alone otherwise someone might have noticed his obviously emotional reaction to an inanimate object. Trip took in all of the readings with the unemotional professionalism that made him stand apart from other Human engineers and had earned him a spot as chief engineer on the first warp five starship. Trip had always been brilliant and even Vulcans had to admit that he was a genius. Hess just watched him with the same feeling of hero worship and profound respect that she had always had when it came to this man. She thought of him less as a chief and more as a big brother. He never questioned that role in her life and had on many occasions acted as a big brother and confidant. The frown that creased his forehead caused her to stir from her reverent observation.
"Something wrong Investigator?" She needed to keep this professional and he needed to get this engine up and running.
"Yeah, these readings don't make any sense. I think you may have a subroutine sabotaging your readings. Each readout is off by .01 or .02. That's what's causing your issues. The engine sounds like it's working at peak efficiency but the readings are saying it isn't. Everything about the engine feels right and sounds right. The only thing about it that isn't right are the readings. Who is in charge of the programming?"
"Dr. Sorn. He's one of the lead Vulcan engineers for the program."
"Sorn. I would like to talk to him. Can we bring him into your office today?"
"I'll call him in. Anything else?"
Trip kept his eyes on the monitor and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "No. I want to talk to Sorn as soon as possible."
"Well then let's head back to my office and I'll call in Sorn."
Trip sat in front of his desk monitor and waited for it to light up. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He hated reporting to Harris almost as much as he hated being dead. When the monitor lit up he straightened in his chair.
"Report."
"Sir the facility has at least three infiltrators. I've reviewed some of their readings and have taken an in depth look at their equations and someone in the main engineering section has purposefully installed a subroutine to throw off readings. The other two, one in the acquisitions department and the other on the field theory team are also causing some problems. The only thing is, I haven't figured out who it is yet. Give me a little more time, I'm hoping to draw out whoever else may be behind this so we can get them all at once."
"How are you planning on drawing them out?"
Trip smiled. "I'm going to get that engine running at warp 7 in a week."
T'Pol stood in the doorway and watched Trip as he tucked their son into bed. His bassinet was softly illuminated by the adhesive stars that adorned the walls and ceiling of his room. The soft sound of ocean waves drifted from the shell shaped speaker on the bedside table that held the small lamp that glowed a gentle white light. Trip was murmuring softly to Tuck and was gently rubbing his stomach. Their son gently drifted off to sleep and Trip watched him for a moment more. T'Pol could feel contentment and love through the bond, whether hers or his it didn't matter, and she basked in its warmth. Trip walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She placed her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. She breathed in his scent, the smell of him was the smell of love, warmth, and home. He kissed the top of her head and then slid his hands down her arms. He grabbed her right hand from behind his back, brought it to his lips and gently kissed it. He held her hand and led her down the hall to their room and she followed him silently.
Once they were in their room and the door had quietly shut behind her Trip turned around and caught T'Pol in a passionate kiss. She hungrily responded to him and began moving her hands down his chest. He was still wearing his Vulcan uniform and she wanted to get it off of him as fast as possible. He pulled her towards the bed never taking his mouth off of hers. She finally unzipped his uniform and he stepped out of it. Her blue silk pajamas, which she only recently could fit in again, were unbuttoned by practiced hands. T'Pol fully opened her mind to the bond and felt Trip do the same. They were one mind and one body and their was no way to describe the feeling of absolute pleasure that coursed between them. They shared each others pleasure, they shared their desire, and the shared their minds. Trip would never admit it but he almost wished he was human so he could have the same strong emotions the T'Pol had. To be able to love with the strength she did was beyond his understanding. He reveled in it and soaked it in. He could never imagine his life without her and didn't want to even try.
When Trip woke up the next morning he sighed as he stretched his whole body. T'Pol wasn't in bed but he knew that she was in the kitchen getting breakfast ready. He reached out through the bond and felt for Tuck, his son was in the kitchen as well, happily watching his mother cook. Trip smiled and shook his head. If someone had told him 10 years ago that he would be married to a Vulcan, T'Pol no less, and would have a telepathic bond with her and their son he would have laughed at them and sent them to Phlox to get their head checked. He got up and pulled on a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt. He walked barefoot to the kitchen and took in the view. T'Pol was busy stirring something in a pot on the stove and Tuck was laying on his back on a blanket in a small play pin in the far corner. Trip walked over and kissed T'Pol on the cheek.
"What's for breakfast honey?" He knew she thought pet names and nicknames were silly. He also knew that she thought being called honey and darlin' made her happy in a very non-Vulcan way, though she'd never admit to that out loud. He felt a sudden surge of happiness through the bond at the sound of the pet name and smiled.
"Oatmeal, toast, and egg substitute. I thought you would like to have a heavy meal this morning since you will no doubt work through lunch." She gave him a look of reproach and turned back to the pot of oatmeal that she was stirring.
"I know you don't like me to skip meals but the sooner I get this job done the sooner I can come home and the sooner I can stop being Voras and start being Trip again." He reached over and cupped her cheek. "I just want to be myself again. If that means skipping a meal or two then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."
"I know you desire a return to normal but I do not want you to risk your health because of it."
"Alright darlin' I'll eat lunch ok? I'll even have Hess promise to call you if I don't, how about that?" He smiled.
"I would not be opposed to hearing from her in any situation but it would be agreeable to know if you were taking care of yourself or not."
Trip sighed. "Right. Oh, Janet is invited for dinner tomorrow. If that's alright with you." Trip felt excitement and had no doubt that it was ok with her.
"That would be agreeable." Agreeable. Understated as always. Trip chuckled.
"I'll let her know and have her come by at 1730 tomorrow for dinner. T'Pol, you're burning the oatmeal." She quickly turned back and he suppressed a laugh. God I love this woman but she isn't a cook. Maybe we could hire someone, or send her to a class?
"I'll take care of the toast." He smiled. She raised an eyebrow at him and turned back to take care of the oatmeal before it became inedible. Perhaps I should take a class?