135A/N The story so far: When a secret mission to clear T'Pol's name goes wrong, Trip is declared dead by Starfleet. But Trip is very much alive, captured by Romulans and forced to work in their mines. Using the name Rokel, Trip makes friends with V'Ran, Mita, Skrov and Gel. When their lives become endangered, they are rescued by the Kirakites, led by T'Pol's long lost father, Kirak. Meanwhile, a pregnant T'Pol, who had been receiving care at Starfleet Medical in San Francisco, is kidnapped by Romulan spies and held hostage. Starfleet Intelligence claims to have found her location in Brazil, but long hours go by without any answers, while T'Pol's baby will need medical treatment in 19 hours.
Many thanks to my beta LadyinLA.
Disclaimer: Enterprise and its characters are property of CBS/Paramount.
Part One
Unknown planet, Kirakite hideout
Burgundy – The underground complex where they were staying was ingeniously designed. Deep within the caves, natural tunnel formations were used as passages. The plasterwork on the walls and ceiling was man-made, as were the iron support beams along the corridors. Along the passages, iron doors led to several rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and conference rooms. They all had the same design: wooden beams on the walls and ceiling, covered with tapestries and a stone floor covered with three or four rugs, all to dampen the clammy cold of the caves.
Mita had recognized the design of the mountain people of Harel planet, near Farel Moon, whose skills in cave building were widely known. She shared a small sleeping area with V'Ran, Skrov, Gel and Rokel, whose real name is Trip Tucker. She was lying on her bed, covered under a thick burgundy blanket. A fire burned in a large fireplace carved into the rock face, giving much needed warmth to the room.
Rokel had not returned to their sleeping quarters yet. After the five of them had shared a meal, he had stayed behind. Because the small kitchen was not used very often – most people preferred the larger kitchen near the staff quarters – Rokel chose it for his daily meditation.
The normal banter between Skrov and Gel had died out, indicating they had fallen asleep. She could hear V'Ran's soft breathing in the bed next to her. He had been restless in his own Vulcan way, unable to sleep and meditate these last few days, so she was glad he was finally getting some rest.
But for her, sleep did not come easily. The fact that she was forced to lay on her back because of her bulging belly, when she was accustomed to sleeping on her side, made it worse. She placed her hand on her abdomen. At once, the child responded, his little kicks causing her to smile. V'Ran missed it. Ever since they had arrived to this place, he seemed even more hesitant to touch her and connect with their child. Earlier that evening, when they were preparing the evening meal for their small group, their hands had brushed by accident. She had felt an overwhelming emotion of shame that wasn't hers. And it had terrified her.
She needed a distraction from her thoughts. Quietly, she stood up from her bed, placing her bare feet on the stone floor. She slipped into some burgundy slippers, a present from one of the Kirakite women, put on a warm robe, and sneaked out of the room.
It was dark in the hallway outside the room, but she found her way to the kitchen. She loved that place, the warmth coming from the stove, the smell of spices and freshly baked bread in the air. She decided she would make breakfast for her friends. As she opened the kitchen door, Rokel, the name Trip Tucker used with his new friends, walked out, an meditation candle in his right hand. Normally, the friendly Human would smile at her, but now he seemed lost in thought, with a deep frown on his features, unaware of her presence.
Mita remembered the first time she had seen Rokel. It had been on an Orion ship. She had been standing in the crowded room filled with horrible smelling men, dressed in dirty clothes, exhaustion seeping into her bones.
Suddenly, she had heard the sound of someone being beamed into the place where they were standing, and in front of her an alien with strange yellow hair had appeared on the floor. As he tried to stand, she had taken notice of his remarkably translucent blue eyes.
During their subsequent travel to the mines of Farel Moon, he had shown concern for her wellbeing. He was friendly toward V'Ran, and also accepted Skrov and Gel. She soon realized this Human was a loyal man and a good friend to Vulcans. Mita was also fascinated by his relationship with his Vulcan wife. Rokel could communicate with her through their bond over great distances. As a Heterian physician, she had heard about this phenomenon. But those stories were from long ago, and Rokel was Human, a non-telepathic race.
She entered the kitchen. In the corner, containers of water from the wells in this facility were to be found. A basket with fruit from the hydroponic farming area was placed on the kitchen counter. The Kirakites tried to limit the use of energy, coming from dilithium based generators, for their sensors and computers, so the food was prepared by hand and cooked or baked on a stove.
In the cupboards, she found some Tokeme flour, mixed it with water and some leftover sourdough, and started kneading. She would make Felises bread, a dish that was easy to make and didn't require much time.
While the batter rose, she began to prepare V'Ran's favorite breakfast soup, using ingredients she found in the kitchen cupboards.
She thought about her previous life, as the wife of a wealthy Romulan officer. She always had servants to cook for her. Her only purpose in life back then was to shine as a beautiful pearl at the parties of the Romulan Imperial Army, dressed in luxurious dresses, as Volos, her late husband, had often stated. That was before he started to resent her. The first years of their marriage had been glamorous and carefree. But she didn't want to go back to that time. She may be dressed in secondhand clothes now, but she had V'Ran.
The batter now sufficiently risen, she molded it into a loaf and placed it in the oven. Her back began to ache. As the smell of freshly made bread filled the kitchen, she placed the kettle on the cooking plate, and chose a tea powder to make a fresh pot of tea.
As she pulled the bread out of the oven to cool off, she felt a small tingle in the back of her mind. V'Ran was standing in the doorway.
Their eyes met. For a second, she saw relief wash over his features. "I didn't know where you were," he said in his dark but friendly voice.
"I made Felises bread." She placed the bread on the table, together with the butter, a cup of tea and a bowl of Gespar. He had never told her, but she knew it was his favorite food.
His eyes lit up at the sight of his favorite dishes, silent joy reflecting on his face. "Shouldn't you be resting?" he asked warmly.
She smiled at him. "I couldn't sleep, so I made you breakfast."
She noticed V'Ran stiffen at her remark, and his face became neutral again. "May I join you for breakfast?" he asked politely, distance already in his voice.
When she gestured he could, he seated himself stiffly on one of the chairs. She took the seat opposite him. She looked at the man that she loved with her whole heart, his gray hair, his face with the scars of a difficult life carved into it, his deformed right ear. She remembered the old days when they would talk as good friends, enjoying each other's company.
Now, a strange silence filled the room. In one fleeting moment, she thought about Volos, who had despised her and divorced her. She had to cast out fear and find out why V'Ran was acting so differently ever since they arrived at the Kirakite's compound. "I noticed you are restless and have been avoiding me," she said, trying hard to hide how much his attitude had hurt her. "What's going on?"
A tinge of green colored his cheeks, revealing his discomfort. He took a deep breath. "I apologize for causing you sadness, Mita," he said. "I cannot express in words how grateful I am. I could never not want to be in your presence. You saved my life."
She was relieved by his words, and relaxed. "And you mine, V'Ran," she said softly, placing her hand on his forearm. He didn't pull back. Strong emotions that weren't hers flooded over her: fear, regret, pain, love.
He withdrew his arm slowly and said, "Ever since we came here and I saw Kirak again, I have been confronted by my past, with my cowardly actions, and contemplated how Kirak and I have ended up here, together again, in Romulan space."
She had been interested in Kirak's way of thinking. Some people even called her a Kirakite. But she never expected that V'Ran knew Kirak. "You never told me you knew Kirak, not even when we used to discuss his ideas."
"You remember that you did all the talking," V'Ran responded, with some amusement in his voice.
"I could not discuss anything political or controversial then, not even in a private conversation. So there are many things about me and my life I haven't told you yet. Perhaps you don't know me at all."
She understood. As a Vulcan slave in a Romulan world, it would have been very dangerous for him to share any personal information. One wrong remark or perceived connection with a persona non grata, could lead to torture at the hands of their Romulan masters.
"You are mistaken," she responded to his last remark. "I know who you are: kind, strong, loyal, a good friend. A good father."
V'Ran took a deep breath. "I will tell you about my previous life, Mita. You deserve as much. It all started with the death of my first child." The pain was as clear in his eyes as it was that night in the library when he had first mentioned his son.
"I come from a family of pilots. My grandfather, father and I, all served in the Vulcan fleet. I was trained as a pilot. I had spent two years on Earth, in a place called San Francisco, training Human shuttle pilots. When I returned to Vulcan, I fulfilled several missions for the Vulcan military. I married a Vulcan woman and we had a son, Kel."
"That's the same name as the family whose household we served together," she remarked, surprised by the name of his son. "It's a familiar Romulan surname, meaning confident."
"In Vulcan, it means confident or comfort. And my son Kel truly was a comfort to me. Every time I heard the name Kel during the time we served together, I was reminded of what I had lost."
There was an unmistakable sadness in his voice as he continued. "It is a tradition in my family to take your child on a shuttle ride to show him the ways of a pilot. So when Kel was five, I took my son for the trip. On the way back, a desert lightning storm took us by surprise. The shuttle crashed and, a few days later, my son died of his injuries. The mother of my son, T'Kar, was extremely attached to him and never recovered from the shock."
Mita saw the pain in V'Ran's eyes as he continued. "One day, my old captain Kirak called me and asked me to join him on a classified mission, off planet. It was extremely important for Vulcan. We had to track a man called Menos. I wanted to leave our house, away from the accusations. So I sent T'Kar a short message and left." He bowed his head. "I am truly a coward."
"You are the bravest man I know," Mita refuted, placing her hand on his once again.
He looked at their hands folded over each other. It seemed to give him the courage to continue. "Almost at our rendezvous point, we were ambushed by Romulan forces and captured. Of our crew, only three made it alive, including me. We were put to work in the mines on Mijari Mountain, near Valiti Canyon on the planet Tikari, that world of ice."
Mita's best friend from medical school had moved to Tikari. Sanin had written to her many times about her life on that planet. "Did you ever find this Menos?" she asked.
V'Ran withdrew his hand softly. She felt empty as he did so. "No," he answered. "Our mission was futile. The Romulans did not kill us but made us their slaves. The tips of our right ears were cut off, we were tortured, disrespected in every conceivable way. Captain Kirak told us to keep our distance from him, to never ever mention his name. Soon I understood why. What they did to us was bad, but nothing compared to their actions towards Kirak. It was as though they hated him more deeply than any other Vulcan."
V'Ran grew silent for a long moment. "Kirak taught me to always keep a low profile, to stay unnoticed by our masters. A Romulan slave can never tell his opinion or show that he has information about their enemies. So, when I came to Heteria, a year after I was made a slave, I kept silent. As long as I was in the shadows, they would not hurt me."
His features softened and his voice grew almost tender as he added, "And there I met you. An intelligent and beautiful woman who became my friend. Then my Pon Farr came. I had always found methods to control it, being without a mate. I did not want the Romulans to find out and torture me like they had done to other Vulcan slaves. But the last time, it seemed so hard to do. Then when you were assaulted by that monster who does not deserve to be called a man, my control left me. I had to act. And afterwards, when you helped me during my Pon Farr and bore our child, you rescued me. But it came at great cost. You, too, became a prisoner, like me."
He searched her face. "You are the mother of my child, my mate. And there is nothing more I would want than to make you legally my wife and raise our baby together. That is my deepest wish. But that would be selfish, and perhaps impossible. It would mean you could never see your family again. And that is just one of the many obstacles for us to truly become a family, Mita."
"Under Romulan law, it is forbidden for a Vulcan slave to marry a Heterian or Romulan," she understood.
V'Ran's eyes filled with sadness. "Not only that, I am a convicted man, escaped from prison. The Romulans will hunt me down, putting you and the baby in danger. I already lost one son. The thought of losing our child and you is too much. And I don't have proof Kel's mother is no longer among the living, so I cannot marry you. I am useless to you. We should go our separate ways. It is only logical. Touching you, bonding more with you, would only make things more painful."
"No," she stressed. "It is anything but logical. Pain and loss are the risk of love, and I will fight for ours. I will not leave you or let fear come between us."
To cast away any doubts V'Ran could have, she added, "I am absolutely certain about this. Besides, I cannot go back to my old life. The moment I chose you, that path was closed. And I understand the road before us is dangerous. We could die. But I would rather risk the pain and grief of loving and losing you, than not loving you at all."
It was amazing to see the effect of her words on V'Ran. His whole demeanor became less rigid and his features softened. Almost shyly, he extended two fingers and caressed her right cheek. It was most agreeable, as they sat there in the quiet.
"I did not think there was a solution," V'Ran broke the silence. "But if you want to stay, we could work together to find one. It would always involve risks. The outside world would try to kill us or separate us. And we cannot hide forever in these caves ."
Suddenly she saw the solution to all their problems. "We have to leave Romulan space and return to Vulcan," she said, "to a world that does not judge you for being Vulcan. We should try to reach the planet Tikari in the Dosa system – it is close to the wormhole leading to non-Romulan space –and make our way from there. Friends of mine live on Tikari. One of them works at the military complex, and I have visited the planet in the past."
"Those friends–" V'Ran started, but he couldn't finish his sentence, as Skrov and Gel entered the kitchen. They were loudly talking about how hungry they were, and how much they were looking forward to some breakfast.
They had just settled in and were about to start eating when Martek, one of the Kirakite leaders, walked in. "There you are, V'Ran. You must come. There is a staff meeting. Tucker has received a message from his wife. And it is important for all of us."
Part Two
Unknown planet, Kirakite hideout, Conference room
Burgundy – Trip looked at his father-in-law, dressed in a burgundy robe, saying his goodbyes to his longtime friends and fellow leaders. The chain of events in the last hour had been unnerving, a downright rollercoaster. Trip had informed Kirak about T'Pol's kidnapping and the demands of the kidnappers – that Kirak should hand himself over to a man called Delon in order to rescue T'Pol. It had spurred his father-in-law into action.
Trip didn't know who this Delon was, but Kirak did. He ordered a certain S'Tel to find the location of this man in Romulan space, laid down his duties and told everyone he was going to surrender himself in order to save T'Pol.
It reminded him of T'Pol, before their marriage, sacrificing her own happiness for the sake of others. It wasn't right. "There has to be another way to rescue T'Pol", he thought, mad at the world that put Kirak in such a position, upset with Starfleet for letting T'Pol be kidnapped from a Starfleet Medical Facility, and angry at himself that he couldn't do more. He hated the fact that a man that he was just getting to know, a person so important to his wife, would be dead within a day.
He felt a lump in his throat developing as he heard his father-in-law talking about logic, sacrifice, the needs of the others, and children who still had a life in front of them.
Trip had heard similar words from Starfleet admirals during the war, but never had they sounded more authentic and true.
S'Tel entered the room. "We have word where Delon is stationed," she said. "He is near a planet called Tikari."
Trip felt excitement rush through him. It was the planet of his mission. He took a deep breath, and rose from his seat.
"Osu-sa-mekh," Trip addressed his father-in-law, "I will go with you."
"No," Kirak said firmly, a single word that hit Trip like a blow. "If you go with me, it would only put you in danger."
Trip felt like the world was tumbling down around him, crushing all hope. A depressing thought whispered in the back of his mind: never would he return home and see T'Pol again.
"The ship will depart in 18 minutes, Del'hiue," S'Tel stated. Trip suddenly realized that in only about a quarter of an hour, he would see the last of T'Pol's father.
"Then it is time to say goodbye, my friends," Kirak said. He thanked Martek and the others, then turned to Trip. His shoulders slumped slightly, as if he carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. "Take good care of my daughter, Charles Tucker."
Trip managed to nod in response to his father-in-law's parting words. The world around him had turned into a haze, with the people around him vaguely figures. In the last hours, he had discovered T'Pol, who was carrying his child, was in danger, his father-in-law was sacrificing himself …and he had no way to get out of this place to complete his mission and get home. Trip slumped back into his seat.
Someone tapped him gently on his underarm. "Are you feeling well, Rokel?" a voice asked.
Trip urged himself to focus and looked up. He saw V'Ran standing beside him, concern in his eyes.
"No," he answered, "I've got to get to Tikari." He had to find a way to travel to that planet. He had to clear T'Pol's name and return to her.
"Why is this planet so important to you?" V'Ran asked, seating himself next to Trip.
"That planet is the whole reason I'm even here," he stressed. "I was sent on a mission to Tikari. My wife, T'Pol, is accused of sharing technology with the Romulans, during the war. We were supposed to investigate the original documents that are the basis for those accusations and prove them wrong."
"Are those documents to be found at the Romulan archive at the city of Mijari, near the mountains, on Tikari? I heard the Romulans have re-taken the area, including the military archive."
"Yes, that's the place we were headed to," Trip said, remembering his mission debriefing. "But we were told the Romulans had abandoned the planet after the war."
"They left briefly, but returned. Romulans are not known for letting go of a planet they have conquered in the past," V'Ran explained. He paused for a second, deep in thought. "But if you want to complete your mission, you need a team, someone who can smuggle you inside the archive, a good hacker, someone with knowledge of the Romulan language and its military, a good engineer, and perhaps a good pilot," he summed up.
"On my old team, we had those people," Trip said, thinking about his teammates, now all dead; Dubois, with his Romulan language skills and computer knowledge, MACO McKenzie, and their pilot Sabin. "But now I only know Skrov, who claims to be a great hacker," Trip said, thinking aloud. "Or perhaps Gel. He told me he smuggled goods in the past. But I don't know if they'd want to help."
He ran his hands through his hair. "But even if we could get all the people we need for a mission, without a ship with a cloaking device, we're not going anywhere."
"Skrov and Gel both want to return home to Coalition space. They will help us," V'Ran said with conviction in his voice. "And I have an idea to persuade Kirak to take us to Tikari. This journey home will benefit us all."
"Then you better talk to Kirak fast, before it's too late," Trip stated, trying hard not to get his hopes up that he could finally reach Tikari, complete his mission, and go home.
They approached Kirak, who was standing in the doorway with S'Tel, ready to leave. "We need to talk," V'Ran said in Vulcan to Kirak. "I have the solution to your problems." There was something in their interaction, a sense of familiarity between old acquaintances, that made Trip realize Kirak would listen to V'Ran. "Walk with me," Kirak said.
As they arrived at Kirak's quarters, V'Ran silently motioned to Trip to wait outside. Within three minutes or so, V'Ran came out, telling him Kirak wanted to speak with him. Trip stepped into the beautiful room with warm brown colors. He could smell the familiar fragrance of wax from the lit candles. The other lights in the room were dimmed as usual. Standing there in the sparsely lit room, Kirak looked even skinnier than usual.
"You're going with me to Tikari," Kirak said as greeting in English with a thick Vulcan accent, surprising Trip. He had never seen a Vulcan change his mind so quickly. Kirak continued in Vulcan, speaking slowly so that Trip could understand. "The reason I did not want you to travel with me initially was because I did not wish to put you in danger. But V'Ran convinced me you would take any opportunity to travel back to Earth through hostile Romulan space, so I had better provide you with the tools to make your mission a success. It is only logical."
Good to know logic is on my side, Trip thought, relieved by Kirak's words. "What tools, Osu-sa-mekh?" he asked.
"A cloaked ship with cloaked shuttles," Kirak answered. He took a neatly folded, but worn out gray uniform, that looked like the one Trip had worn in the Romulan mining facility, and placed it in a bag. Then he took a burgundy colored, triangle shaped pendant out of one of the drawers. It looked very much like his own da ek'zurah, except for the flowery ocher decorations at the ridge of the ornament.
"Thank you for helping me, Osu-sa-mekh," Trip said. He was excited to be leaving at long last. "And I haven't told you how much it means to me, what you're doing to save T'Pol. I only wish there could be any other way to rescue her. I have told you about Starfleet."
"Is that the same organization that got you into this trouble?" Kirak asked sharply. Trip felt his cheeks burn, feeling embarrassed and frustrated at the same time. The organization he had worked for most of his adult life, to whom he had given so much of his life, time, blood and sweat, had failed him so many times.
"Starfleet is probably infiltrated by Romulan spies, Sa-fu", Kirak said, while collecting a candle holder and placing it in the bag. His response confirmed Trip's greatest fears, ever since his mission had gone terribly wrong. "But even if Starfleet were able to save T'Pol, the problem is me, Charles. Delon will not stop hunting my family until I am dead."
In the silence that followed Kirak's words, a loud chirp of the communicator on the only desk in the room was to be heard. Kirak took the device in hand and started to read the message on the display. "V'Ran has spoken to Mita, Skrov and Gel. They all agreed to join the mission."
"That's good to hear, Osu-sa-mekh," Trip replied. He was overjoyed by the news, but still very much aware of the dangers ahead and the price his father-in-law was paying.
"We must go," Kirak continued. "We will pass by your room on our way, giving you one minute to collect your belongings. In the ship you will also find uniforms for you – and your friends."
As Kirak and he arrived at his quarters, Trip took the few items he considered his belongings, his da ek'zurah, a robe that was a gift from one of the Kirakites, an old shirt. He still wore his old Starfleet boots that seemed indestructible, one of the few things reminding him of his previous life.
V'Ran, Mita, Skrov and Gel joined them, their bags already packed. "Thank you," Trip said, from the bottom of his heart, looking at his circle of friends. "It's going to be a difficult mission and I don't know what dangers we will face. But I am glad you all are here for the ride."
"Without us, you end up in trouble again," Gel mocked, "Humans are just stupid." He slapped Trip on his shoulder with a mischievous grin. Skrov muttered something along the lines that he was bored anyway, Mita and V'Ran just nodded solemnly.
He hadn't expected Mita to join them, seeing how protective V'Ran was about her, but it made sense. Not only were she and V'Ran inseparable, and she never would leave V'Ran's side, she also spoke fluent Romulan and had great knowledge about Romulan culture.
Through a web of corridors, Kirak led them to an area Trip wasn't familiar with. The rocky path was narrow and difficult to walk, but they continued walking until they reached a closed metal door. Kirak typed the code into a combination lock on the door, it opened, and they found themselves at what seemed to be an abandoned mining facility. Trip realized they're still inside the caves, but getting closer to the world outside and the shuttle platform. He saw an old, rusty underground rock drill vehicle, a dump truck and some kind of transport vehicle, complete with seats. Trip had seen a similar design at Farel Moon. Over a rocky and bumpy road, the transport vehicle took them a few miles further in no time, until they reached a whitewashed wall, with a barely visible turbo lift. The lift would bring them to the surface of the planet outside.
Trip and Kirak were the last to go up. As they were standing there, with just the two of them, Kirak turned to Trip and said, "I also have a rather selfish reason to take you with me. Before I die, I want to tell my daughter about my life and her family. She needs to know. There is a high probability that I will never see my daughter again. There is a Vulcan method to share memories. You are Human, but you have bonded with my daughter. So I will tell my story to you during our journey to Tikari, without words, so no one but you will know the story of T'Pol's family and me."
Out of the lift, Trip stepped onto stony ground, a howling, cold wind welcoming him. Rock formations were on his right and left, but in front of him was a broad road made of cobblestones and a small platform ahead. He felt something burning on his cheeks, and as he looked up, gray flakes swirled down, making it impossible for him to see more. It reminded him strongly of his first steps on Farel Moon. Kirak made his way quickly to the platform, and as Trip followed him, he couldn't help but wonder what Kirak had said about T'Pol's family. What secrets was her family hiding? And what kind of method would Kirak use to tell him the story of his life? A mind meld? He had experienced melding with T'Pol, but with another Vulcan, his father-in-law no less, that was a whole different ball game.
Skrov, Gel, V'Ran and Mita were all waiting for them. It was not the Talukh Pollu (Desert Rose), as he had hoped, but a much more modern ship. Once inside the ship, they were greeted by S'Tel, now dressed totally in black with her hair cut short, and Toran, the young Heterian Trip had met before.
Trip heard the familiar sound of the warp engine coming to life, he heard Toran, who had taken the pilot seat, give the order for the cloaking device to be activated, and then they began their ascent through the atmosphere to open space on their way to Tikari.
Next chapter: End Game – Part One