Secrets

One Week Later.

Invictus was still in space dock. Malcolm and Hoshi had taken Trip and T'Pol up on their offer to have dinner and take in a show that evening on the surface. T'Pol met them on Jupiter station and explained that Trip would be along shortly with a shuttle pod to pick them up.

They were browsing the shops and just looking around when T'Pol noticed someone who looked like a Rigelian who seemed to be watching and following them.

"Mr. Reed," she said. "Have you noticed the individual in the black cloak?"

"I have," Malcolm answered. "He looks Rigelian. This is the third time he's shown up in the same shop as us, and he keeps looking over at us."

"Please keep an eye on him," she said. "There is something unsettling about him."

"Perhaps I should go over and find out just what the hell he keeps gawking at!"

"He's coming over here," Hoshi interjected. Moments later the man in the black cloak approached the trio.

"Good evening," the man said with a smile. "You must think I am terribly rude to stare. But, aren't you all Starfleet officers?"

"Who wants to know?" Malcolm replied with an edge in his tone.

"Please forgive me. I am sure this looks strange. I am Serrotsu of Rigel X. I am visiting this quadrant for the first time. I have seen the famous crew of the starship Invictus on news screens all over the station and on the planet surface; the one you call Earth, and I simply recognized you."

"Oh, see, just a fan," Hoshi replied.

"Would you care to sign a padd for me?" the visitor asked.

"No!" Malcolm said in response to the request. "We're not celebrities. We just want to have a quiet evening, so If you don't mind."

"I don't see the Captain," the man said looking around. "Will he be joining you? May I take your picture? Will you be having dinner here or on the surface? Suddenly, T'Pol saw Trip hurrying towards them. He was saying something but she did not hear him. Something was not right. Reed suspected it too.

"Trip!" Hoshi said waiving her hand and gesturing for him to come over. T'Pol watched as Trip approached them. The scene seemed to unfold in slow motion to her. Suddenly, the talkative fan that had approached them, pulled out a blade from under his cloak. He turned as Trip walked up and lunged at him. But T'Pol had sensed something was wrong and saw the blade before it landed in Trip's chest. With one swift movement T'Pol leapt in front of Trip and the blade sank into her chest instead.

Hoshi screamed and Malcolm immediately grabbed the assailant and punched his lights out. Trip was on the floor lifting T'Pol's head.

"T'Pol!" he called out to her. "T'Pol, c'mon babe talk to me!"

"He… he…was trying to…to k-kill...you," she stammered.

"I need to get her to Phlox," Trip said lifting her. Suddenly the space station security came running.

"Take care of this fellow," Malcolm told security. "He just tried to kill Captain Tucker."

"Captain Tucker?!" one of the security guards said. "The Captain Tucker, of the Starship Invictus?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Trip asked. The guards looked at one another.

"With all due respect sir," the guard said, "but if you are Charles Anthony Tucker, III, Captain of Invictus, then, there is a bounty on your head. We have been getting subspace interference for the last two days. The communication has been interrupting all view channels with the details."

"What?!" Malcolm said. "I'd like to see this so called bounty."

"I can't even think about that right now Mal," Trip replied. "I'm taking her to the pod."

"Go," Malcolm said. "I've got this." And Trip hurried on carrying a bleeding T'Pol. Hoshi running close behind.

Later.

Trip sat beside T'Pol on a stool next to the bio-bed where she lay. She had undergone surgery and was now in recovery. Trip rested his head in both hands with his elbows resting on his knees. Phlox entered the room and took in the scene.

"Captain," He said, "you need to rest. I can give you something."

"No doc, I'm fine. I just wanna be near her; wanna be here when she wakes up."

"How is your pain?" Phlox asked knowing that he had felt his wife's pain when she was stabbed and first brought into sick bay. Phlox had ordered that he put up his mental shields so that he could bear the pain. He then gave him pain meds to assist.

"I'm okay, don't worry about me," Trip replied.

"It will be a while before she regains consciousness. You should rest, that way you will be fresh when she does awake."

"I'm not leaving doc," Trip said firmly. Phlox knew there was no use arguing when he like this. He also knew that Trip's being present was vital to T'Pol's recovery.

"Very well. I will prepare the bed next to her, and we can push them together, hmmm." Trip nodded and they began to set things up.

Trip had not left sick bay for two days, even showering and changing right there in sick bay. Phlox had food brought to him, but he did not eat. On the second day, he received a comm from Admiral Gardner. He was on his way to visit T'Pol with Ambassador Sovol. An hour later they were there in sick bay.

Trip had asked Sovol to come, but had no idea Gardner would join him. Trip looked disheveled and very worried. He seemed far too concerned about his XO for Gardner's taste.

"Why do you feel it's necessary for you to be here around the clock Captain Tucker?" Gardner asked.

"She is a member of my staff, my first officer. Why wouldn't I be here?" Trip replied.

"You are the Captain, you have a ship to run," Gardner shot back. "If you're concerned about her care, have her transferred to Starfleet medical. We can get a Vulcan doctor to look after her."

"No!" Trip shouted stepping closer to Gardner in an almost aggressive stance.

"Tucker what's going on here? There's obviously more happening here than meets the eye. Are you…are you involved with Commander T'Pol?"

"Admiral," Sovol said as he looked at Trip. "Allow me."

"What?" Gardner asked.

"With all due respect," Sovol began, "It is vital that Commander T'Pol not be moved and that Captain Tucker is allowed to remain at her side. It will enhance the healing process."

"And why is that?" Gardner retorted. "How can he affect the healing process?"

"Admiral," Phlox said stepping forward. "Commander T'Pol needs to be put in a healing trance, and remain in it for another 36 hours. That will not be possible if Captain Tucker is not present."

Admiral Gardner looked even more confused now. He looked at Phlox, then at Sovol, and finally at Trip. "I wanna know what the hell is going on," he said. "and I wanna know right now, so start talking."

Hoshi's Quarters Invictus

Hoshi was still shaken up having seen T'Pol stabbed on the space station. She was startled when her door chime went off and jumped at the sound.

"Oh, uh…come in," she said holding her chest. Malcolm stepped through the door.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No, just our friend and colleague stabbed right in front of me," she replied.

"Sorry," Malcolm said. "I know it was unsettling. I just wish I had followed my first instinct and confronted that creep about following us in the first place."

"You didn't know he was going to violent, nobody did."

"T'Pol did. How is she, you been to sickbay yet?"

"Yeah I went with Trip as soon as we got her back to the ship," Hoshi said. "I sat with him until she got out of surgery. But I left a little after that, thought he needed some time alone with her. God, he was so broken up."

"I can understand that," Malcolm said and moved closer to Hoshi. "If it were you I don't know what I would do." Hoshi put both hands to her mouth and started to tear up. He pulled her close to him and held her for a few minutes.

"Sorry we didn't get our night out," she final said, looking in his eyes. "I know you were looking forward to, you know, not having to sneak around."

"No more than Trip and T'Pol are," he replied. "I'm just glad they know about us and we don't have to sneak around with them."

"I couldn't handle that; lying to our Captain and First Officer" Hoshi said. "At least on this ship we all have quarters on the same deck. Sure makes it easier."

"Yeah, back on Enterprise I was always a nervous wreck. You think the Captain knew or suspected anything?"

"I think Commodore Archer knew. He's a lot more observant and insightful than a lot of people give him credit for," Hoshi said.

"Hey, let's have dinner brought up," Malcolm suggested. "Let's just stay in and hang out tonight."

"Sure. But, what did you find out about this so-called bounty on Trip's head?"

"Yeesh!" Malcolm said. "I almost forgot about that. I think it's a credible threat."

"A credible threat? You mean someone really wants him dead?"

"Dead or alive," Malcolm replied. "It's not uncommon though. We are in the middle of a war. It's common in situations like this to go after the top guy. Many species believe that if you kill someone's leader, that it will affect the resolve of his followers, or cause them to jump ship, so to speak."

"Uhmm, they don't know that much about humans do they?" Malcolm smiled, then moved over to her again and kissed her. "Let's get dinner sent up," he said after they broke the kiss.

"What's the rush," Hoshi whispered, and went for his mouth again. It was apparent, that dinner would have to wait.

Travis Mayweather's Quarters. 1900 hours.

Travis opened his computer and typed in some codes. In a few minutes, a familiar face appeared on the screen.

"What have you found out?" Travis asked, anxiety in his voice.

"Good to speak to you to Lt. Mayweather. By the way, I'm fine."

"Cut the crap Harris," Travis snapped. "That assassin came after Captain Tucker in broad day light. Commander T'Pol has been critically injured. I should have gotten the proper intel and a lot more timely. What's the use of being a part of this section if I can't prevent something like this from happening?"

"Mayweather, you may not always be able to prevent attempted assassinations. Just be glad Tucker wasn't taken out."

"Glad! Look, I'm not going to feed you information and get nothing back for it. You said this was a mutual arrangement, that your intel would be well worth it!"

"And it always has been, am I right?" Travis hesitated.

"Yes, you've given me some really helpful stuff. We were able to get a jump on a Romulan ship yard and two outposts."

"And you took them out, right?"

"Alright, alright," Travis said. "But how do I help protect Captain Tucker if I can't get reliable intel?"

"Let me worry about that. There won't be another problem I guarantee it," Harris said. "I've got some pretty vital information for you right now that involves some visitors you're gonna get in a few days. Right after Commander T'Pol was stabbed, Tucker sent out a communication to Ambassador Sovol. He asked him to come for a visit. He's there right now, so is Admiral Gardner. I'm going to pass this intel to you in a decrypted message and you need to find a way to get it to Gardner. I'm also going to tell you how to access the information without anyone on the ship knowing about it. But, one more thing."

"What's that?" Travis asked.

"You can't just walk up to Gardner and hand it to him. He can't know where it came from or how it was obtained. And before you give it to him, you must determine if he is the right person to pass it on to. So, you're going to have to know who he talks to while he's on your ship and what he's talking about. Then find a way to get it in his hands."

"Why can't he know where it came from?" Travis asked.

"You're operating on a need to know basis Mayweather."

"If I'm gonna spy on my Captain, a Vulcan Ambassador and an Admiral, I think I have a right to know why I'm doing it."

"Actually, you don't. But know this, this information is directly related to and will affect this war. Make sure it gets in the right hands!" Then the view screen went black and Harris was gone, just like that.

"Damn it!" Travis said, banging his desk top. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Starfleet Medical, The Same Day.

Erica Hernandez was on leave and she was just visiting Jon. This was only the second time that she had been able to visit Jon since she learned she was pregnant four months ago. She had sat with him read to him and talked to him for two hours. She hoped against hope that he would just wake up. She knew she should leave and get to her doctor's appointment, but she couldn't seem to tear herself away just yet.

"You remember I told you that Columbia and Enterprise were both reassigned to other Captains. Rosser got my ship and Sterling got yours. Oh, I'm still okay with giving up Columbia. Starfleet needed as many warp five vessels as they could get in this damned war. So, that's a total of ten war five vessels out there now. After we lost Infinity, Calypso was finished and Crater got her. They're all doing a good job with what they have to work with. That's what I wanted you to know, that your successor is doing just fine with Enterprise." She smiled a little lowering her head. Then she blew out a long sigh.

Remember when Enterprise was the flag ship and Columbia was the second ship out of space dock? That was just two years ago, but damn it seems like a life time ago. Those ships have been battered and banged up and patched up so many times now, it's hard to believe they were once two beautiful vessels on peaceful missions of exploration? Well, I guess the Xindi mission changed all that for you, huh?" She then stood up and picked up a small towel. She patted Jon on his forehead, then rubbed his face.

"Well, ever since we saw the likes of Intrepid at warp seven and four times bigger than any ship in the fleet, warp five vessels just seem, I dunno, inadequate. Then came Invictus! Jon you should see Trip and that damned ship of his. It's incredible what he's been able to do. Because of Invictus, this whole thing has just turned around. You would be so proud of him Jon. Trip has really become a great leader and a great Captain." There was a few moments of silence.

"I asked him to uh… to be there…in your place…when the babies come…that is if you're still here," Erica said tearing up again. "I so hope you can be there. But, since Trip and T'Pol are the only ones who know about us, about you being John and Gabriella's father, I didn't really think you'd mind. I don't intend to tell Starfleet either…that is unless you come back to me. Then, we can tell them together; that is if you still want to be with me."

Erica thought about telling Jon about T'Pol being injured and Trip having a bounty on his head, but she decided she wouldn't tell him anything but positive things and good news.

"Don't worry about a thing," she said, "I think Trip can handle it; I mean standing in for you at the delivery. He seems to be good at everything he does, why not at standing in for his best friend at the birth of his babies?" She then kissed him on the cheek, straightened his covers, and smoothed his hair, then left the room.

Sick Bay, Invictus.

Admiral Black had just demanded that Trip come clean about his relationship with T'Pol. At this point, Trip saw no reason to lie. At this point, he really didn't care if Black knew, his highest priority was T'Pol's complete recovery.

"Admiral," Trip began, "Commander T'Pol and I are married. Because she is Vulcan, we can communicate mind to mind. But I can't initiate the communication with her being unconscious. I needed Sovol to come up here and perform a mind meld so I can talk to her, so I can put her in the trance."

Gardner stood there stunned. "What is he talking about Sovol?"

"What he speaks is true. Captain Tucker and Commander T'Pol are a bonded, mated couple. They have been so for almost three years."

"I don't understand all the Vulcan mumbo-jumbo about bonds and healing trances. All I know that if Tucker has been secretly married to his XO for three years, then that's a problem!"

"Their relationship must not be interfered with," Sovol said. "Vulcan marriages are private matters between citizens of Vulcan."

"Tucker's no Vulcan!"

"He has been granted Vulcan citizenship."

"So Sovol you knew about this?" Gardner asked incredulously.

"Yes, so does T'Pau and our council. We have known about their bond for some time now."

"And you have no problem with their relationship?"

"It is done. Once the bond was formed, unless severed immediately, it could not be severed."

"And just how was this bond formed in the first place?" Gardner said turning to Trip.

"It was formed by accident. T'Pol helped me out when I was struggling with my recovery after the incident with the Lisyrians three years ago. She did a type of massage therapy to help me deal with the pain from having my back broken. She also taught me how to meditate. That helped with the psychological stuff. I wouldn't have made it if she hadn't helped me."

"So I gather because of these massages and this so-called meditation that one thing led to another, and you just decided to get married?" Gardner demanded. "She was your superior officer Tucker!"

"But she wasn't Starfleet at the time," Trip replied.

"Nevertheless, you broke the rules and you both will be punished!" Trip looked down with his hand on his hip.

"As soon as she's better, she'll be reassigned, and you both will be brought up on charges," Gardner said angrily.

"Perhaps you should reconsider," Sovol said. "Admiral, Commander T'Pol and Captain Tucker cannot be separated. They must be allowed to serve on the same ship. If they are separated it will cause them both great pain, discomfort and distress."

"They're going to be separated, that's all it is to it!"

"It's not gonna happen Admiral," Trip interjected.

"Tucker," Admiral Gardner said, "I should throw you in the brig right now!"

"I won't allow us to be separated. If you want me to resign I will."

"That may be the smartest thing you've said today," Gardner said and turned to go.

"Admiral," Sovol said stopping him. "If Captain Tucker and Commander T'Pol are harshly disciplined because of their tel, it will not set well with the Vulcan government. We consider these matters private and sacred in our culture. A court martial will only serve to expose them, put them on public display, and serving on opposite ships is out of the question."

"Sovol, the Vulcans cannot dictate to Starfleet how to discipline our own officers," Gardner spat out.

"That may be the case Admiral, however, you do not wish to alienate your oldest ally. While we are not directly involved in this war, we have provided intel and a vast array of resources. I believe those resources are invaluable to your planet right now, to this war effort as a whole. You would not wish for us to withdraw our support altogether."

"Sovol, are you threatening Starfleet, threatening me?"

"I am simply stating facts," Sovol said standing his ground. Admiral Gardner was incensed. He wanted to throw Trip in the brig right then and there, but he knew what Sovol was saying had merit. He had to speak to the other Admirals, there had to be a way around this. In his mind Tucker had to be disciplined.

"Commander T'Pol will remain here in this…this so-called trance. When she is better, Mr. Tucker, I expect to see you at Starfleet headquarters. This is in no way over; not by a long shot." Gardner then turned on his heels and stormed out.