Chapter 7

T'Pol, daughter of TLes, parted from me and never parted…

T'Pol studied the words illuminated on the display in front of her, although she need not have done so–the contents of the message had left an indelible mark on her. Her usually serene face was subtly shaded with an expression that might have appeared impassive to all but the few who would know better. There was always a chance Ensign Sato who was a gifted communications specialist in her own right could detect the most minute variations of tone or expression with her discerning eyes and ears. T'Pol's mother, now gone, always knew when her emotions were close to the surface. As a child, T'Les seemed to have a direct window into her daughter's vulnerabilities when it came to her emotions, much to her younger self's consternation. The memory of her mother precipitated a hollow ache in her chest that contributed to her solemnity. As much as they had been at odds since she decided to remain with Enterprise and Starfleet, the mother-daughter dynamic was something she found she sorely missed. Finally, there was Trip. Against all odds, the brash human had become a part of her. He alone knew the depths of her innermost thoughts and truths. Her gaze drifted to where her bondmate lay asleep on his bed. The rhythmic cadence of the rise and fall of his breathing as he slept calmed the tide of emotions that churned beneath the surface. Trip was not a communications expert as Ensign Sato was, and he was not a telepath as her mother was, but he was certainly an expert on the inner workings of her mind to the extent she permitted and had even been inside it. If he were awake at the moment, he most certainly would have been able to read her expression enough to know that something was amiss. She would have been forced to shield him from the bond again lest he discover her current motives and intentions. Her frequency of blocking their connection in a misguided attempt to protect him and herself from the volatility of her emotions had already caused a rift between them recently and they had discussed the matter at length. She had fully intended to maintain the open two-way flow of the bond, but she knew it would not be possible in this situation. They were on shaky enough footing lately without him finding out what she was about to do. She was thankful he was sound asleep.

T'Pol may not have been considered an expert in communications either, but she was certainly considered a gifted scientist both on her homeworld and within Starfleet. As such, she approached any scientific question, methodically, sequentially, and logically. Scientific methodology and its dogma had been ingrained in her throughout her extensive training at the Vulcan Science Academy and she religiously adhered to them. Following these guiding procedures had seldom failed her. She would need to rely on all her training and skills to find a solution to this most irregular situation. How might she refuse Koss while limiting the impact to herself and more importantly, to Trip? Trip had not asked for any of this. As a human, he should have been spared from any repercussions from her obligations to Koss, which as far as she was concerned, were nil. T'Pol was not certain all of Vulcan would share in that sentiment, but she would see to it that Trip would be spared. She would have better insight after the observation phase, but for that, she would need to make contact with Koss and observe his state of mind to devise the set of procedures that should follow.

This initial part of her plan should have been simple enough. Koss had provided his coordinates and a secure channel for them to speak to facilitate the requested rendezvous. She keyed the data into Trip's computer again and waited in vain for Koss to respond. After regular intervals of attempting to hail Koss, she concluded there was to be no response, which was surprising given the urgency of his demands.

Hypothesis: Koss' mind was addled by the blood fever and consequently he had sent her the incorrect information or perhaps Koss was dead. She admonished herself for the swell of primal relief and satisfaction she derived from this thought and banished it from her mind. Koss had coerced her into an unwanted marriage, but they had ended with a positive interaction and he had even supplied assistance during the siege on Vulcan. Moving on with her process, she processed the background information: Koss had many less-than-desirable traits, but carelessness was not one of them. If he did not respond, he was either incapacitated or the contact information was incorrect. She attempted to analyze the point of origin of the message but found it to be heavily encrypted. She would have to run a level two analysis of the message to determine the source and this would take some time.

Time passed slowly, and eventually, T'Pol reconciled herself to the facts that lay before her. It was becoming clear that she would not be resolving this issue quickly and this presented additional problems. If Koss was not accessible at the provided coordinates and channel, where else might she be able to gain access to his location? Her long, tapered fingers changed the channel efficiently as she keyed in the channel for the Vulcan Embassy. It was standard procedure for Vulcan comings and goings to be logged at the Embassy. T'Pol was fairly well-known for her recent involvement with locating the Kir'Shara and her involvement at P'Jem. She had hoped that this would not be an issue.

"You have reached the Vulcan Embassy. How may I assist you?" The clerk who responded lifted an eyebrow of recognition when she saw the party at the other end of the screen.

"This is Commander T'Pol," she phrased fluently in perfect Vulcan Standard.

The clerk's face was an impassive mask, but her eyes were shining.

"I know who you are, Commander. Your mother was my instructor at the Vulcan Science Academy. She was a great influence on me. I was sorry to hear of her passing. Her contribution in locating the Kir'Shara will have a tremendous effect on Vulcan. All of Vulcan grieves with thee." she related sincerely.

At the mention of her mother, T'Pol was caught off guard for a brief moment. The clerk's words had affected her more than she would have expected and she had to put forth great effort to speak over the lump in her throat that was forming.

"How may I be of assistance?" the clerk repeated, giving T'Pol a moment to compose herself.

"I am attempting to locate the whereabouts of a specific individual on Earth. Are you able to find their location in the registry?

"That information is generally considered classified." the clerk responded regretfully.

"It is a matter of extreme personal importance that I find this person. The individual is my former spouse."

The clerk raised an eyebrow. "Koss is not on Earth."

It was T'Pol's turn to be surprised. "And how do you know this?"

The clerk became visibly uncomfortable. "Koss's family is in talks to plan a new betrothal."

T'Pol digested this information. Perhaps his had arrived before the talks had concluded. Perhaps this is why he had contacted her.

"Are you certain he is not here? It is urgent," T'Pol asked again.

Despite a well-trained mask on the clerk's face, she could see the conflict on her face. After a moment, she paused and entered a few keystrokes into her computer.

"There is no record of Koss traveling to Earth." The clerk responded quietly.

This news was unexpected. It upended all of T'Pol's contentions she had made on the matter thus far. She would need to reformulate a plan.

"Thank you for your assistance." She thanked the clerk.

"It is my honor to serve the daughter of T'Les. Live long and prosper."

"Live long and prosper," T'Pol replied, her hand raised in salute and with that, she closed the connection.

She was still no closer to speaking to Koss and resolving this once and for all. The enigma of Koss's whereabouts defied all logical explanations and the initial question remained: Where was Koss? He had clearly contacted her from Earth. The clerk must have been mistaken. Perhaps Koss did not log his visit with the Embassy given the sensitive nature of his reason for travel. In any case, if there was to be hope of a swift resolution to this problem she would need to meet with Koss in the morning, shortly before the conference was to begin. She was on double duty for the entirety of the conference with the exception of sleep and meals and then the Enterprise would return to their mission of exploration post haste which the crew was all looking forward to. Compounding the issue was the fact that the Enterprise crew were to be guests of honor and as senior officers, she and Trip would be required to attend. Given their high profile on Earth following the Xindi attack, the tabloids and media would be watching their every move. And if Koss truly was in the midst of Pon Farr and wanted to ruin her, he could very well be dangerous and unpredictable for both her and Trip. Koss was well aware of her feelings for Trip at the time he forced her to become his wife, yet he had been maddeningly secure in the knowledge that T'Pol would never call for the kal-if-fee, the challenge. Koss would have surely killed Trip. T'Pol would never risk it. Never.

She quickly crafted a message and sent it via subspace channels to her former husband's last known whereabouts on Vulcan. It would take hours for the message to reach Koss if he truly were on Vulcan, so there would be no logic in waiting for an immediate response. She crossed to the other side of the room and slid beneath the sheets next to her mate while she waited. Unconsciously he sidled up behind her and draped his arm over her body protectively. Before long she fell into a deep sleep, feeling safe and secure. It was illogical but she wished she could stop time itself.

She awoke to find Trip watching her from across the room. Seated at his desk, a warm, easy smile graced his face and she was struck by how attractive of a man he was not for the first time. If she had been honest, those feelings were almost immediate despite her outwardly cold facade at their initial meeting those years ago. He broke the early morning silence between them first.

"About time you woke up, sleepy. We are due to beam down to the conference at 0800 hours." Trip gave her a bemused look.

"I had some research that needed attending to," she responded. Vulcans did not lie, but they did choose their words wisely at times.

"What research are you doing that it couldn't wait? You need your rest." He looked her over, appraising her condition tenderly as if she were his beloved engine. They had both been through a lot physically and emotionally in the past few weeks.

"It was time-sensitive." She countered, hoping he would not continue down this line of questioning. She raised her inner shields instinctually, out of habit.

He understood the call of work better than anyone and nodded to indicate as much. Much of his work had to be completed on a tight deadline, especially when they were in a scrape. He was about to commiserate when the computer in front of him chirped, interrupting the conversation and he turned his attention to the screen, tapping the keys to check the notification. His brow knitted in confusion as he faced her, "It appears the level two analysis I ran is complete. It says the coordinates traced back to an abandoned warehouse. Only I didn't run a level two analysis. Care to explain?"

T'Pol inhaled softly. A credible scientist did not share their research until forming a conclusion of some kind, but here she was, in front of her bondmate and she could not deceive him. He deserved that much. He deserved the truth.

She made eye contact as she answered the question. "The point of origin of Koss's message presumably."

"An abandoned warehouse? That seems a bit creepy even for that son of a bitch." Trip laughed hollowly.

Saying nothing, T'Pol rose from the bed and began to dress. At this hour, the corridors would be busy and she would have to be quick and discreet. "We need to prepare for the conference," she intoned, her back to him.

Moving towards her, he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. "What are you not telling me?"

She squared her shoulders and looked up at him. *I cannot locate Koss. He is not on Earth according to the Vulcan Embassy."

At that, Trip stiffened, his smile fading. "Hold on a second. You attempted to contact Koss on your own? I thought we agreed we would handle Koss together?"

She realized he had seen through her plan. She had thought the better of meeting Koss with Trip there. She would never risk his safety. In his agitated state, Koss could kill him.

"There was no response," she responded softly, hoping this would serve to placate him. Trip appeared visibly confused as he attempted to digest the information she had shared.

"No response? I'm not sure why that makes me nervous, but it does," he sputtered, processing as he mused.

Could it be that the whole thing was just one big misunderstanding? No, there was no subtext with Vulcans. There was no other way to interpret that message. He and T'Pol had made some headway last night, or so he thought, and here even the idea of Koss had been wrenching them apart with the undeniable truth that she has attempted to shut him out yet again. She promised him she would not be alone with Koss and she was clearly looking to cut him out of this meeting. He was about to say as much when the shrill tone of an incoming transmission filled the room. Trip reached for the keypad to respond.

"Tucker here."

Captain Archer's voice greeted him.

"Good morning, Trip. Sorry to bother you this morning so early, but the Gamma shift reported a small power surge in Engineering overnight. Can you take a look before we beam down for the conference?"

He pressed his lips together, his eyes never losing contact with T'Pol as he spoke. They had so much more to discuss, but she was already discreetly using her scanner to ascertain if the corridor outside was empty to make her exit.

Turning back to the monitor, he answered his Commanding Officer. "Aye, Captain. I'll take a look" he said, the tension evident in the slight twitch of his jaw.

"Just don't be late, Commander. I know how you get when you've got elbows deep in Engineering. I don't trust a word that comes out of Samuels' mouth if we're not there to keep him accountable," Jon said, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Captain. I'll be there."

The Captain nodded. "Oh and Trip? Make sure you wear a clean uniform this time* he teased breezily.

Aye, sir."

"Archer out."

Turning around to face her again, he was dismayed to discover she was already gone. Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, he concentrated and projected his thoughts in the space of the bond.

We're not done talking.

There was no response and he found he could not access her thoughts. Blocked again?

Swearing under his breath, he knew instantly she was trying to protect him, but he didn't trust Koss and he would be damned if she was going to continue down this path alone. He slammed his fist on his desk, the vibration knocking his stylus to the floor. He bent down to pick it up and returned it to his desk coming face to face with the warehouse coordinates on the screen. Making a decision, he quickly composed a message and sent it. Two could play at this game, he thought as he quickly prepared for the long day ahead.

Author's Note: Happy Holidays to all!