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"Future Present, Future Past" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 Thanks to my reviewers for this story and the Switcheroo Series in general, esp. Ladyhawke Legend, Begoogled, rfortstars, TokoronaSh, and extra kudos to a great editing job by Pesterfield:) Please leave a review! Thanks much! Sixteen “I suppose congratulations are in order, Hoshi.” She chuckled at Admiral Max Forrest’s image; her mentor had a bemused grin, but she noticed it didn't meet his eyes. She knew he'd been under so much pressure from Starfleet and its allies, and she felt a stab of pity for him. “I wasn’t expecting it, Max. It was a complete surprise to me too.” Forrest sighed and shook his head. “Matt’s always been a maverick in some things; I don’t think I should’ve been surprised, but...” Hoshi sobered at her former CO’s expression. “I read the preliminary orders. Starfleet Command wants all of us, but especially Matt, Trip and Malcolm in debriefing sessions, while Enterprise and Columbia are refitted—“ “I hate to say it, Hoshi, but it’s either going to be a long engagement or a short honeymoon. The last thing I want to do is separate you and Matt for an undefined period of time, but Earth’s on high alert in the wake of your run-in with these Romulans.” Forrest glanced down at the PADD on his desk, then back up at Hoshi. “Enterprise will be in drydock for the shortest time we can spare, and we’re going to have to send Columbia out while you’re stuck there, after Spacedock patches up her battle damage. Then it’ll be Columbia’s turn for refit while you’re out on patrol.” Her smile was tinged with sadness. “Ships that pass in the night. Matt and I’ve discussed it, Max. We know our duty and we’ll do it, no matter what.” His face softened. “Thank you, both of you. So, tell me, will you need me to officiate?” She chuckled. “I wouldn’t ask anyone else to do it, Max. Would you?” “Just be sure to give me at least twelve hours notice, okay? I don’t want to hear that two of Starfleet’s finest captains decided to elope at the last minute.” “Won’t happen. Matt’s mother would kill him, and my parents would disown me.” Hoshi smiled again and added, “Thanks.” “Anytime, Hoshi. Forrest, out.” Hoshi took a deep breath and reorganized her thoughts. There was so much to do before they arrived at Earth and faced the dragons in their Starfleet den. She reached over and hit the comm button. “Commander Mayweather, Lieutenant Archer, report to my Ready Room, please.” Ensign T’Pol gazed at the flame of her candle and watched the colors within it. Her mind craved the solitude of meditation; she focused on the Vulcan koan, “The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few, or the one.” Surak knew the honors and dangers of self-sacrifice, for it had been through his death that the Vulcan clans had been united. She wished she had the kind of courage. Her loyalties had been fostered since birth, but now they were sorely tested. The needs of the many. What would happen to Vulcan if T’Marui’s and T’Les’s information became general knowledge? That the V’tosh ka’tur and the I’Rhiamanau had been the ancestors of the ones who threatened Earth now? What would happen to the friendship between her home and Earth? It would not withstand the strain of paranoia and suspicion, for the splinter groups like Terra Prime were still in existence. The alliance would fall apart. The needs of the few. What about her loyalty to Starfleet and Captain Sato? She knew that Earth would not be able to repel the Romulan threat by itself. Enterprise was her crew and she’d taken a vow to protect her crewmates. The needs of the one. What about herself? In a mere few months, she had found a purpose here, a place of safety, one that had eluded her for all the years she’d spent on Vulcan. What did she owe Hoshi Sato and her crew? Her friendships with Malcolm Reed, Jonathan Archer, and Trip Tucker were her lifelines. Did she want to sever those ties? Lose their trust? What should she do? Betray Vulcan or betray Enterprise? Why must she make the choice? And Lieutenant Commander Tucker...Trip...she felt some connection with him, one that she didn’t understand, but one she desired. The admission surprised and intrigued her. Why? She could not say, but perhaps with more analysis, she might find the answer to that question. Eventually, she found herself drawn back to her surroundings, to her physical body, long before her session usually ended. T’Pol was disoriented for a moment, then she realized someone stood quietly just inside the door of her quarters. Why hadn’t she heard the presence before now? She glanced over her shoulder and realized why she hadn’t. “Malcolm,” she said in a quiet voice. Malcolm Reed inclined his head. “T’Pol. Forgive the interruption.” “There is nothing to forgive,” she replied automatically. “What can I do for you?” “I require your advice and your discreet ear,” he answered. His eyes, normally blue-gray, were dark in the shadows, and T’Pol saw the glimmer of inner pain within them. “You are the only one whom I can talk to, for this is...personal.” “Come, sit down, Malcolm, and I will listen.” She gestured towards the second meditation cushion and folded her long legs under her. “What troubles you?” He sat across from her and clasped his hands together. Then he told her everything. She forced herself not to react to his revelations, for she’d heard the news from the ship’s rumor mill. Her heart ached for him, but she maintained a cool indifference while he talked. “My heart grieves for thee,” she finally said. His eyes flashed. “Don’t pity me,” he said shortly. “Silik told me not to envy him, to allow him whatever joy in the time he had left. Honestly, I don’t know what’s worse...knowing what the future holds in store for Hayes and Hoshi and stepping aside...or knowing and finding a way to interfere.” T’Pol nodded in sympathy. It was one aspect of Malcolm’s “ability” that weighed heavily upon his soul. Not for the first time, T’Pol considered his strange extrasensory ability more of a curse than a blessing. “But you have already made your decision. You will not tell them.” “No.” Malcolm closed his eyes. “I can’t and I won’t. This is one thing I won’t report to the Circle, to V’Lar and T’Pau, in particular. I won’t let them use it as ammunition against Hoshi, Hayes, or Starfleet in general.” He opened his eyes again and added, “I am not ungrateful for what they’ve done for me, mind you, but my faith in their intentions is severely shaken after this.” T’Pol reached over and put her hand on his. “Know that you have at least one ally, Malcolm, and one who faces the same questions. I will keep your secret; if you need to ‘talk’, as Trip would say, ‘my door is always open’.” His smile was sad, but the bitterness that had tinged it was gone. “You’ve been spending too much time with our intrepid armory officer, T’Pol.” She allowed herself a smile in return. “I consider it an...enjoyable indulgence.” “For God’s sake!” Trip ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward in his chair. “You’re sayin’...how long?” Commander AG Robinson, assistant head of Engineering Research and Development, held up his hands in protest. “At least a month and a half of refit time, Trip, and that’s cutting it pretty close. That’s the estimate based on what Henry’s heard and seen from his Andorian counterpart in Sh’Lienuy. We can’t afford to take both Enterprise and Columbia off the front lines at the same time, so Enterprise’ll be in drydock first. Columbia’s gonna get her repairs, but then Forrest’s sending her out on patrol again.” Commander Phlox’s expression was just as grim. “It makes sense, from a strategic point of view, but I don’t relish the thought of sending Columbia on her own.” AG sighed and shrugged. “Columbia’s going to have Montana, Shenandoah and Zula with her, and Captain Shran’s insisted on joining them with a small Andorian patrol consisting of cruisers and corsairs. So Captain Hayes will have plenty of firepower and backup at his disposal. Phlox, you’ll be happy to know that we’ll be outfitting Enterprise and Columbia with decent shield technology based on Andorian and Vulcan specs. And Trip, your complaining about the limited armaments on Enterprise finally made a dent in Weapons R&D’s minds. I think they’ve got some things to show you when you guys arrive here on Earth.” “About damn time,” Trip grumbled, but he smiled as he said it. “What about the Vulcans?” AG rolled his eyes. “Their Space and Ship Operations are working in overdrive, Trip. They have been for some time now. If you ask me, I think they might’ve suspected something was gonna happen and planned accordingly. Didn’t know the Vulcans had precognition as one of their talents, but, well, it even took Henry by surprise. And Henry doesn’t surprise very easily.” “Has Admiral Archer voiced his concerns to the Vulcan High Command?” Phlox asked. “He has, but I don’t think they’ve listened. Henry’s planning on having his son by his side when he talks to them next...maybe Jon can get through their stubborn hides when normal diplomacy can’t.” Despite the situation, Trip burst out laughing and Phlox allowed himself a grin. “Yeah, count on Jon to bypass Vulcan stubborness.” “Well, we’ve got yet another meeting to get to, so I gotta run...but call me as soon as you two can make it to Engineering R&D. We need to start doing this ASAP.” “Be assured that we will, AG,” Phlox said. “Thank you.” “No problem. Starfleet Command, out.” AG winked, then his image disappeared from the screen. Phlox glanced at Trip, his brows knitted in concern. “I believe AG is worried, or did I not interpret his body language correctly?” Trip shook his head and sat back in his seat. All traces of humor had fled. “Nope, you nailed it just right, Phlox. There’s a lot AG wasn’t—or couldn’t be—tellin’ us. I expected this Romulan thing’s got Starfleet Command in a tizzy, but...” “Do you think there will be trouble at Starfleet Headquarters?” Phlox asked, his characteristic Denobulan grin quickly vanishing. Trip’s smile vanished too. “I hate to say it, but I got a bad feelin’ about this.” This series continues in "Calm Before the Storm" |
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