|
"The Logic of Emotion" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 You’ll find out how Hayes fits into the scheme of things, and Trip gets an assignment that he might not be able to refuse... Thanks, Pesterfield...I'd actually skipped 2 words. Fixed that so it makes more sense. Ten “Quinn was a good man,” Malcolm said in a quiet tone. “He knew how to relate to complete strangers. He was the powerhouse behind most of the joint Human/Vulcan biomedical projects of the time. I was only his assistant.” T’Pol turned to him with a hint of a smile. “Do not deny your own contributions to those projects, Doctor Reed. I believe Doctor Erickson looked up to you like a mentor.” “It was rather the other way around, T’Pol.” Travis sighed and shook his head. “A pity what happened to him, though. I would’ve loved to have met him in person.” “What happened to him?” Jon asked. “I thought I heard something about a transporter accident—“ Malcolm shook his head, obviously unwilling to relive the memory. Hoshi squeezed his arm in reassurance, causing Trip and T’Pol to exchange another glance. The captain seemed unaware of her gesture. “Quinn volunteered to be one of the first ones to use the transporter. He said that it was illogical to ask someone to test it if its creator wasn’t willing to go through it himself. His father had tried it and was successful, and Emory was enthusiastic about his son’s sense of adventure, so Quinn didn’t expect any problems.” Phlox’s voice was just as quiet. “Something went wrong.” “Yes, Commander. Something went wrong.” The corner of Malcolm’s mouth turned up in a bitter expression. “Quinn failed to materialize at his destination. It was the final straw; Danica and her father had a very public argument and they broke off contact. Emory died not long afterwards.” “Oh, man,” Travis breathed. “Ironically, it was a problem with the molecular converter, the same piece of equipment that Danica Erickson had assisted with,” Phlox added. “Her theory was sound, but the engineers had misaligned some critical components. She blamed the members of the engineering group as well. A group comprised of mainly Vulcan and Denobulan engineers.” Another heavy silence fell over Trip’s quarters. Then Phlox answered the unspoken question. “No, I was not with that group, but several of my colleagues were. They took the shame with them back to Denobula.” Trip nodded. Phlox had used the Denobulan euphemism for the Terran equivalent of hari-kiri, ritual suicide. “None of us knew what the future held for them,” he said. “At the time I was at the Consulate, Danica and Quinn had worked with the Vulcans for a few years. I hadn’t known just how well connected some of them were, especially one man in particular...” O’Charley’s Bar, San Francisco, March 18, 2145 “Over here, Tucker, and ditch your friends. I want to speak with you alone.” Jeremiah leaned against the doorway leading to the basement stairs. He looked like a lazy tiger, casual yet coiled to strike. Trip regarded him with a wary expression. How did he know? Lee gave him a questioning look. “You want me to get lost, Trip? I don’t trust you alone with him, where I can’t see you.” “Have a couple at the bar for me, Lee. I’ll be right back.” “You sure?” “Yeah, I’ll be okay. I’ll holler if I need help.” Trip knew that Ramirez wasn’t going to be thrilled with him wandering off by himself with Jeremiah, but he had the stealth communication system set up on his body, so Ramirez could track him. Lee shrugged casually, then headed for the bar. Jeremiah gestured for Trip to precede him down the stairs. As Trip passed him, Jeremiah reached over and switched off the tiny button behind Trip’s ear. The sudden touch made Trip jump and he whirled around to face Jeremiah. “I told you to ditch your friends. Plural. What I gotta say is between you and me, no one else, even if the other one’s your commanding officer.” He inclined his head towards the stairway and Trip began the slow climb down. Jeremiah had deactivated the most obvious comm circuit, but Trip had a back-up circuit implanted in his inner ear. Ramirez was one who believed in redundancy. Trip hid a smile. If Jeremiah was half as good, wouldn’t he have expected that Trip had an alternative means of communication? “I thought you were an engineer.” “I was, but that isn’t the only job I’ve held in my lifetime,” Jeremiah said with a slight smirk. “You know the saying ‘it takes one to know one’?” “You’re Starfleet Security,” Trip whispered in a hushed voice. “Kind of. I’ve got connections, enough to know that Harris tried to worm himself into your confidence.” Jeremiah’s voice was calm, but there was a dangerous undertone. “He isn’t who he seems. And I know enough to warn you that Diplomat Archer and Ambassador Soval are in danger.” Trip glanced over his shoulder. “You’d better start from the beginning, Jeremiah...if that’s your real name.” He laughed. “Actually, it is. I’ve never lied to you, Tucker.” “Just omitted a couple of things.” “Like you haven’t been guilty of the same in your career?” “We’re not talkin’ about me.” Trip bit off the rest of what he was going to say. Jeremiah was testing him, trying to get under his skin, and Trip wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. They emerged in a dining area, dominated by a long table with chairs on both sides. Trip stopped so suddenly that Jeremiah nearly ran into him. The table was empty, but at one end sat an ordinary-looking man; ordinary, at least, until you saw the steel in his eyes, the suppressed rage in his frame. Trip suddenly wondered if this guy could take both him and Jeremiah in a fight. “Hello, Mister Tucker,” said the man as he regarded Trip with a cold smile. “My name is John Paxton. Welcome to Terra Prime.” Trip sat through the most difficult half an hour of his life. Not only did he hide his anger and disgust at the self-serving rhetoric that Paxton spouted, but he had to hide his fear as the man knew every bit of Trip’s service record, even the events that were kept strictly “off the record.” He watched Jeremiah out of the corner of his eye; the man said nothing, only watched Paxton with the manner of a hawk. It confirmed Trip’s assumption that Jeremiah had been in Starfleet Security at one point, but he didn’t think Jeremiah was part of them now. Special Ops? Or is there some kinda group that I don’t know about? Trip wondered. And was the mysterious Jeremiah the one who dug up the information for Paxton? If so, that meant that Jeremiah had access to the highest echelons of Starfleet Security. And such a man was working for Paxton and his group, this Terra Prime? This is a major breach. I bet heads’ll roll at Starfleet Command when they find out about this. Trip glanced sideways at Jeremiah; whose side was the man on? He’d warned Trip about a threat to Archer and Soval, and now he acted as Paxton’s loyal bodyguard. A double agent of some sort? Damn, I’m kinda glad I don’t have his job, if that’s the case. “Jeremiah’s vouched for you, Ensign Tucker, as well as Lee. You showed restraint after a ‘sick’ Vulcan attacked you, but tell me, if the Vulcan would have tried to hurt Diplomat Archer, would you have shot her?” Trip raised his eyebrows, and told the truth as closely as he would have dared. He had the feeling his answer would make or break him. “I would have defended Diplomat Archer by any means necessary. It’s my job to protect him.” “And would you have allowed Doctor Soong to drown, even if he had tried to kill you?” “I’m sworn to protect life, Mister Paxton, even Soong’s.” Trip didn’t miss Paxton’s sarcastic smirk at the academic’s name. “Even if the man had a screw loose somewhere.” “You protect life? Human life?” Trip forced himself to answer calmly, even if his stomach twisted into knots. What the hell kind of a question is that? “Part of the contract, Mister Paxton.” Paxton chuckled and shrugged. “True. We need you for a very important assignment, Ensign. Our world is poised at the edge of change, and we need a catalyst to launch our new campaign. Jeremiah, as good as an assassin as he is on his own—“ and here, Paxton acknowledged Jeremiah with a look of respect. Jeremiah’s green eyes flashed dangerously, but he said nothing. “—he doesn’t have the access or the connections to get onto the Consulate grounds.” “But I do,” Trip said, with a sudden realization. Oh, damn. Is he gonna ask me what I think he’s gonna ask me? “That’s right, Ensign. We have a problem with a few people who want to give away our power to the Vulcans, and unfortunately, they are at the highest level of the Consulate’s office.” Paxton’s eyes glittered like a spider’s. “We need someone to eliminate Diplomat Archer and Ambassador Soval...immediately.” |
Like it? Hate it? Just want to point out a typo? Join the discussion now.
Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its various forms and its characters are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the authors of this site, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit. This site is owned by CX and was opened to the public in February 2008.