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"Whips, Chains, and Plomeek Soup"
Rating: PG-13 This is the last chapter (but not the last story!) This last chapter wraps up some loose ends, but still has a few details that will probably be expanded in future stories. Also...what exactly does Doctor Reed know about the Vulcan and their “mission”? Thanks to all my readers and reviewers who have stuck by this story and “Captain Sato’s Enterprise” and my other ENT fics! Fifteen Lieutenant T’Pol sat in the Mess Hall, directly across from Lieutenant Commander Trip Tucker. The Armory Officer had finished his analysis of what had happened on Luran. T’Pol had confirmed no loss of time between the High Chieftain’s story and their intervention to save Captain Sato and Doctor Reed. Their dimension was restored. Yet there were subtle differences. As she had told Hoshi, the changes were unavoidable. For one, there was the matter of her rank. One of her ship designs had finally gained approval with the Vulcan Space and Ship Operations. As a result, she’d received a long-overdue promotion. For another, she and Trip had become another one of those “open secrets” aboard Enterprise. Nothing approaching the Captain and the Doctor, but she saw the smiles and the knowing looks. Trip didn’t mind “takin’ it slow” and she agreed with him. T’Pol didn’t share thoughts with him to the extent of the “other” Trip Tucker, and part of her missed that connection. She had never known such things existed. She knew that would come in time, and if that never happened, at least she could have his friendship. In any case, she knew Trip would be there for her. “Trip—“ “Yeah?” “I never did thank you for assisting me on Luran.” He laughed and shook his head. “That’s okay. We make a pretty good team, don’t we?” Her mouth twitched, but she managed to keep a straight face. “Yes.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Y’know, I’m glad you finally got out of the habit of callin’ me ‘Lieutenant Commander’ all the time. That isn’t my name and I was wonderin’ if I shoulda made it my name.” She inclined her head. “It has taken me some time to ‘get used to the idea’, as you would put it.” “Yeah, there are some ideas that need some time t’get used to,” he agreed. He gave her a speculative look. “And there are some ideas that don’t take as much time at all.” T’Pol sat there for a moment and thought about the words. Then, without hesitation, she lifted two fingers and offered them to him. He matched the gesture with a smile. “I must admit...the prospect is quite agreeable to me, Trip. Quite agreeable.” Captain’s Log: Supplemental The new High Chieftess, Ni’thuta has issued a formal apology for her predecessor’s actions. The Luran Council has been more than generous in the rest of the negotiations. We have every expectation that this treaty between Luran and Earth will be of mutual benefit for everyone involved. The Enterprise is en-route to her next assignment in the Trianon system. Ship’s operations has returned to normal. Commander Mayweather and Lieutenant Ellen Varianis have made significant discoveries concerning the Urathan Nebula. I have noted commendations to both for their excellent work; Mayweather has deferred most of the credit to Varianis. Crewman Saeed El-Sadr has been given a clean bill of health by Doctor Reed and is back on active duty in the Armory. Captain’s Log: Personal, locked under personal code. T’Pol and I talked about what happened to us during the cross between dimensions. Apparently, my actions in the “alternate” universe mirrored hers here in “our” universe, and Trip’s actions in both universes enabled us to make it work. In a moment of candor, T’Pol told me that her marriage to the other universe’s Trip is only one of many outcomes, but one that she “would find satisfactory if it comes to pass in our universe”. Of course, for the sake of “dimensional integrity”, I’ve agreed that this incident should remain between us and not be shared, even with Ambassador Soval, Minister V’Lar and Security Minister T’Pau. The Vulcans’ mission of making sure our dimensional borders remain intact is one of their closely-held secrets and I will honor it. Of course, I am not the only Human to know this, and he has vowed a pact of silence as well. I know that he will uphold that pact as long as necessary...forever, if needed. Hoshi Sato sat in the darkened Lounge, staring out at the stars as Enterprise cruised at a steady Warp 2. Chief Engineer Phlox had gone through his hibernation cycle and was back in Engineering. His unexpected nap could have thrown his department for a loop, but Lieutenants Hess, Rostov and Kelby took care of things admirably in his absence. Hoshi chuckled to herself; there were some things that she was glad stayed the same and didn’t change. “Penny for your thoughts?” asked the British-accented voice in the doorway. “Worth that much?” she teased, as Doctor Malcolm Reed moved to sit next to her. “Ha’penny, then?” he teased back as she settled into the crook of his arm. She laughed and half-turned so she faced him. “I can understand why you didn’t say anything, Malcolm. If Starfleet knew they had a Guardian in their ranks...” “I’d probably be in an Intelligence outpost somewhere being analyzed molecule by molecule,” Malcolm said, with a touch of sarcasm. “The Vulcans knew there was something special about me when I was doing my residency at the their Medical Academy. I thought I was going mad, but they told me certain people are sensitive to certain aspects of their environment. It seems I have a touch of, well, a type of clairvoyance.” “You’re psychic?” she asked, though it didn’t really surprise her. “Not consciously. It only kicks in when something...doesn’t feel right, but it’s enough to catch my attention. Doctor T’Les—T’Pol’s mother—introduced me to T’Pau and their little circle of Guardians and so,” he shrugged, “I was able to channel it into something useful.” She sighed and shook her head. “You knew something was wrong at the Lurans’ hall.” “Yes, but I didn’t know exactly what it was until it was almost too late.” He looked directly at her. “Unfortunately, my sensitivity isn’t always one hundred percent reliable. As a result, we nearly lost you and T’Pol.” Her arms tightened around him. “Don’t blame yourself. You knew there was something wrong with El-Sadr and were able to help him. You unconsciously tapped into your ‘Armory Officer alter ego’ and stuck the High Chieftain with a hypodermic needle.” He snorted, but she went on, “You saved my life.” They were silent for a moment, then he said, “And I would do it again, Hoshi.” “I know.” “And you know that it’s an ongoing operation. We still don’t know who attacked T’Les at the Vulcan Science Academy.” “I know.” She sighed and added, “I’m on your side and I’ll help you however I can.” His grip tightened on her. “I appreciate it, more than you know.” They fell into another companionable silence. She closed her eyes and savored the gentle warmth of his breath on her hair. He chuckled silently, but she felt his chest shaking in mirth. “What?” she asked. “Tell me...about my counterpart, the armory officer. How similar are we to each other?” Hoshi felt her cheeks grow warm as she answered, “More than you probably know.” |
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