This story is set between Bound and Terra Prime. It should be canon-friendly as most of the events I'd like to change took place after Terra Prime. This is my first go at fan fiction. Please be kind. Standard disclaimer applies: I don't own or profit from borrowing these characters from Paramount, because if I did, These Are the Voyages would have never happened.

Chapter 1

The exposed inner circuitry of the open panel in front of the NX-01's Chief Engineer illuminated his face with a soft green glow, showcasing the dark circles etched underneath azure eyes. Commander Charles Tucker III had been working diligently at repairing the EPS grid for 24 straight hours after the latest hostile species had tried to obliterate them into the cold recesses of space. It troubled Tucker how often their encounters with other species turned out much the same way. Gone was the wide-eyed naivete that used to accompany their first encounters with new species. Humanity had grown up and so had Enterprise's crew. Even Captain Archer, who had approached their initial mission with the zeal and enthusiasm of a toddler learning to take their first steps, appeared more and more to be the battle-weary veteran of the Expanse now. They no longer were incredulous at the prospect of a first encounter beginning with the Enterprise on the receiving end of the phase cannon of a new race instead of with their respective owners. They had gone from newborn gazelles to leopards, waiting with their legs contracted, poised to defend if necessary. Such were the circumstances that landed Tucker's skillful hands in this latest tangle of gnarled and fused components. At once, a series of potent sparks emitted from the panel which caused the Commander to recoil sharply.

"Damn it!" Tucker swore as shook his hand out, wincing in pain. At the same moment, the door to Engineering opened and a single, angled eyebrow rose from across the room.

"Good afternoon, the Captain sent me to see if I may be of some assistance, Commander?"

Tucker sighed and gingerly placed the spanner located between his teeth on top of the displaced panel. He squinted his eyes, looking squarely at the Vulcan before him.

"Tell the Captain you can't rush this kind of work. I told him before, barring a trip to Jupiter Yards, he's going to have to be patient. We should be back up and running in 72 hours and that's with my team pulling double shifts."

With that, he turned back to his repairs and ignored her. Ever since T'Pol turned his mind upside down with the revelation they were bonded, all of their interactions were marred by an awkwardness they could not seem to overcome. While they always worked well together professionally, a slight brush of the hand while reaching for a tool would cause his pulse to race and what's worse, he wasn't quite sure if the response was entirely his own. After he returned from Columbia and he called her bluff in the corridor, they were left on unsure footing. It was as if they had reached a stalemate and for all his technical proficiency, he worried that one misstep on his part would spark an irrevocable retreat. He found himself being unable to reveal his anxieties to her, worried that he might be perceived as an "emotional" human and so he ended up reverting to hostility and his frustration with the situation continued to taunt him. He ran his hand through his hair as he turned and watched her depart from Engineering stiffly, without turning around. Frustrated, he returned to his charge. At least the damage to Enterprise, the other woman in his life, was repairable in 72 hours. If the past was any indication, it would take a lot longer to sort of the problems between himself and T'Pol if they were even solvable at all. He gave his singed hand one last shake and began to work, as a barely registered feeling of regret and rejection brushed against the fore of his mind.

Commander T'Pol exited the turbolift and headed for the Captain's Ready Room. Captain Jonathan Archer was seated in the chair, restlessly bouncing a water polo ball against the wall. T'Pol stood with her hands clasped behind her. "Report," he questioned with a weariness that was becoming more the norm and less the exception. Commander T'Pol handed the Captain the PADD highlighting the damage sustained to the ship's systems. "Commander Tucker maintains he requires 72 hours before we can be underway." Archer grimaced. This was not the news he was hoping for. "See what you can do to expedite repairs. I'm worried the Fritarins may be able to adapt their sensors in that time. We won't be able to hide in this nebula forever.'

"Captain, there may be another alternative" noted T'Pol impassively. She continued, "There is a Minshara class planet on the other side of this nebula. We should be able to reach it traveling at one-quarter impulse within 24 hours."

Archer nodded, slowly calculating the risks of what might transpire in that 24 hours in his mind.

T'Pol continued "That will give Commander Tucker ample time to effect repairs and the nebula will continue to shield us from the sensors of other ships as we travel. Further, the Vulcan database specifies deuterium deposits below the surface of the planet. We may be able to extract the deuterium we need. That leak has diminished our supply significantly."

Captain Archer considered his first officer's report.

"We certainly need the deuterium." he rationalized thoughtfully. They had sustained a leak after their more recent battle. "Any sentient life forms?" the Captain requested.

"None." retorted T'Pol confidently. The water polo ball ricocheted off of the wall and the Captain caught it. "None sounds perfect to me right about now. Have Travis to set a course at one quarter impulse"

"Aye, sir" T'Pol intoned and incline her head, smoothly turning and exiting the ready room.

With that, the Captain turned back to the gray wall and frowned. When did he become "the Captain who did not want to make first contact? " Frustrated, he slammed the ball into the wall as hard as he could, sending it careening past a startled and whimpering Porthos.